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Glite Dictionary
to do someone's head in

to do someone's head in

1 9.8
To make someone feel very annoyed or upset
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : volver loco a alguien
  • Trying to understand this math problem is doing my head in.

Examples

Synonyms

to annoy
vsto do someone's head in
246 1.0

Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions

is stronger, often producing significant distress or confusion
to drive someone crazy
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
158 3.2

Make someone very annoyed or upset

also causes strong confusion or mental distress beyond anger
to weird out
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
12 8.4

Make someone feel strange or uncomfortable

is harsher, adding strong annoyance and mental upset to unease
to get a rise out of
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
8 6.8

Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them

can instead cause mental upset or confusion rather than simple anger
to get on someone's nerves
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
7 4.9

To bother someone again and again until they feel angry

may go further, producing mental distress or confusion
to make your head spin
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
4 7.0

To leave someone feeling overwhelmed or confused by too much information

combines that confusion with strong annoyance or mental distress
to get under someone's skin
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
4 7.4

To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does

can also unsettle the mind, causing confusion or distress
to push someone's buttons
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
1 7.1

To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone

may instead or also unsettle them mentally, creating distress
to get one's dander up
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
1 9.1

To make someone angry

can extend to causing mental distress or confusion as well
to raise hackles
vsto do someone's head in
1 7.9

To make someone angry or upset

may also produce confusion or mental distress alongside anger
to give someone the shits
vsto do someone's head in
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To make someone very annoyed or angry

adds a sense of confusion or mental upset to the anger
to get someone's back up
vsto do someone's head in
  • UK
1 7.9

To annoy someone or make them feel defensive

may additionally leave the person confused or mentally upset
to get someone's goat
vsto do someone's head in
  • Informal
8.4

To annoy someone or make them angry

can also create deeper mental upset or confusion
to put someone's back up
vsto do someone's head in
  • UK
7.7

To make someone angry or ready to argue

can also involve confusing or distressing the person mentally
to put up someone's back
vsto do someone's head in
  • UK
8.9

To annoy someone so they become defensive

may also create mental upset or confusion beyond irritation

Antonyms

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

to comfort
172 1.0

To make someone feel less upset or in pain

How Annoying

to drive (someone) crazy
  • Informal
271 3.9
to do someone's head in
  • UK
1 9.8
to upset
362 1.0
to annoy
246 1.0

Surface Forms

do someone's head in infinitive
did someone's head in past
done someone's head in past participle
doing someone's head in present participle
does someone's head in third person singular

Morphology

do + someone's + head + in

The components ('do' = cause, 'head' = mind, 'in' = into) signal that something is being done to someone's mind, so a learner might infer a general sense of affecting someone's mental state. However, the precise colloquial meaning 'to annoy or mentally distress' is metaphorical and idiomatic (especially British) and not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Do someone's head in may come from the image of someone hitting a person's head, so the words do, head and in show the head is badly damaged. So today it means 'to make someone feel very annoyed or confused'.