to conk one's head
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
darse un golpe en la cabeza
- She accidentally conked her head against the table while reaching for her drink.
Examples
-
You conked my head pretty good.
-
Be careful not to conk your head on the shelf when you stand up.
-
He conked his head on the low door frame while trying to walk through.
Synonyms
937
1.0
To hit something by accident with a sudden movement
111
1.0
To hit something by accident and cause a jolt
5
7.6
To hit a person or thing lightly, often by accident
3
2.7
Hit something by accident when you move and touch it
How Hard
- NSFW
- Offensive
- Informal
4
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to accidentally hit or bump one's head' is directly derivable from combining 'conk' (to strike) with 'one's head' (the body part), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can infer the action. Although 'conk' is informal/slang, the semantics are literal and this hit‑the‑head construction is cross‑linguistically common, supporting a transparent rating.
Etymology
Conk one's head probably comes from the short, sharp sound 'conk' people imagine when someone is hit. Picture your head making a sudden 'conk' on a low shelf — that image led to the phrase meaning 'to accidentally hit or bump your head'.