head firstadv.adj.
/ˌhɛd ˈfəːst/, U.S. /ˈhɛd ˈfərst/ A. adv.
1. Esp. with reference to falling or diving: with the head going first or in front of the rest of the body. Cf. headlong adv. 1.
ΚΠ
1790 J. Morse Geogr. Made Easy (ed. 2) 152 They are also called Tumblers, from the manner in which they perform baptism, which is by putting the person, while kneeling, head first under water, so as to resemble the motion of the body in the action of tumbling.
1798 R. S. New Monk II. iv. 9 In her impetuosity.., she pitched head first, over my shoulders.
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) iii. 21 Strangers..usually dived in head-first, as into a plunging-bath.
1873 J. E. Tinne Wonderland of Antipodes 5 My horse..pitched heavily..sending me head first among the manuka or ti-tree scrub.
1950 Auk 67 483 The chick takes the rock eel head first from the parent's bill and swallows it whole.
1987 F. Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes 130 I climbed up on the fence and fell head first right into the hog trough.
2008 S. Siv Golden Bones (2009) ix. 137 I reached the edge of the tree line, and dived headfirst into the deep gloom of the jungle canopy.
2. figurative and in figurative contexts. Precipitately, hastily; rashly, impetuously, recklessly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > excitement > excitability of temperament > impetuosity > [adverb]
impetuously1485
in flagrant blood1614
thick and threefold1627
head-foremost1697
hot-headedly1777
head first1839
1839 Bentley's Misc. Apr. 432 Some people in the world were so very wicked as to run head-first on to families.
1885 Disciple of Christ July 427 Any honest man believing verbal inspiration, will go headfirst into infidelity.
1921 S. Comstock Daughter of Helen Kent i. v. 105 Bec plunged headfirst into the dictation being given.
1950 Changing Times Aug. 15/2 Good counsel..keeps you from diving headfirst into the wrong business at the wrong time.
2003 Wanderlust Apr. 118/2 I am throwing myself head first into the realities of what life has to offer.
B. adj.
Characterized by the head going first or in front of the rest of the body; esp. (of a fall, dive, etc.) that involves falling or plunging head first. Also figurative and in figurative contexts: reckless, impetuous.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [adjective] > plunging head first
headya1382
plunging1538
headlong1562
pitching1749
head-foremost1839
head first1866
1866 Trans. Obstetr. Soc. 1865 7 174 I have not given a special illustration of the modification of form impressed upon the head in head-first labour of the ordinary kind.
1882 Guide to Health, Pleasure, Game & Fishing Resorts Northern Mich. (Passenger Dept., Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad) 105 His stories..of wonderful catches of fish, and head-first tumbles of unlucky sportsmen into the icy pools.
1914 St. Nicholas Apr. 511/2 Oldring, by a magnificent burst of speed and a beautiful head-first slide, managed to beat the almost perfect throw of Moeller to the plate.
1971 New Scientist 25 Mar. 656/2 A head-first rush towards technological prestige.
1989 Times 29 June 33/2 A head-first fall on to a hard surface in a playground from..less than a foot..can cause permanent brain damage.
2010 J. V. Norloch Going Home to Heaven 336 The simple girl who over a year ago asked for guidance then took a head first dive into the unknown.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.adj.1790