ox-headn.adj.

1474 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) *32 The purveyors of beeves and muttons..hath to theire fees the oxe heads, muttons heades, the rumpes of every beefe, and the intrayles of every beaste excepte the oxe feete, and the uthers.

a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) ii. i. 292 I would set an Oxe-head to your Lyons hide. View more context for this quotation

c1625 T. Heywood tr. Ovid De Arte Amandi iii. l. 162 A shield of seauen oxe-heads thick tan'd with haire.

1656 S. Holland Don Zara i. iii. 25 Item, An Oxe head baked after the Franconian fashion.

a1701 H. Maundrell Journey Aleppo to Jerusalem (1703) 12 The Chests were carved on the outside with Ox heads.

1771 F. Gentleman Tobacconist i. i. 3 Did I not find thee..crawling by the doors of cook-shops, to feed upon the steam of baked ox heads and shins of beef.

1863 Jrnl. Statist. Soc. 26 252 (caption) The broth or soup in the dietary of the Committee was probably scarcely more nutritious; for it contained less than one ox-head in 100 pints.

1921 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 11 165/2 Close by are two altars in travertine, decorated with ox-heads and masks, from which hang garlands.

2002 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Nexis) 9 June 18 a We passed on the awesome ox carcass and the disembodied ox heads, more of Afghanistan's exotic surprises.

1613 J. Marston & W. Barksted Insatiate Countesse iii Dost make a Mummer of me Oxe-head?

1806 ‘C. Caustic’ Democracy Unveiled (ed. 3) I. iii. 93 Could equal ox-head celebration In honor of the frantic nation.

1976 G. Ryga Night Desk ix. 114 Only two of them were in—an oxhead from Arkansas named Tiny, an' Ripper, an oldtimer from Toronto.

1996 C. Coulter Rosehaven xxxii. 348 That lack-witted oxhead had better return.

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) Plase, sir, I be come arter th' empty oxhead.

1987 S. Schama Embarrassment of Riches ii. v. 358 Two last of wheat and four of rye, four fat oxen, eight pigs, a dozen sheep, two oxheads of wine, four tons of butter, [etc.].