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Glite Dictionary
to get a hole in the head

to get a hole in the head

9.9
To do something very foolish and not needed
  • idiom
  • Informal
: hacerse un tonto
  • You'd have to get a hole in the head to trust him with your money!

Examples

  • He really got a hole in the head when he quit his job without another offer.

  • Volunteering for extra work now would be like getting a hole in the head.

  • She said buying that old car would be getting a hole in the head.

  • Don't get a hole in the head by investing all your savings in that scheme!

  • Investing in that failed project would be like getting a hole in the head.

  • You'd really be getting a hole in the head if you spent your savings on that scheme.

  • Taking on more responsibilities without a raise seems like getting a hole in the head.

Synonyms

to be a buffoon
vsto get a hole in the head
  • Offensive
2 8.1

To act in a silly, embarrassing way to make people laugh

is an extremely foolish and needless action rather than general silliness
to shoot oneself in the foot
vsto get a hole in the head
  • Informal
1 8.4

Do or say something that harms your own chances

is a pointless, extremely foolish act rather than an accidental self harm

Antonyms

to think twice
  • Informal
113 3.6

Carefully consider something before you act to avoid a mistake

wisely
100 2.3

To act with good sense and careful thought

How Foolish

to get a hole in the head
  • Informal
9.9
unwise
37 3.5
silly
944 1.0

Surface Forms

get a hole in the head infinitive
got a hole in the head past
got a hole in the head past participle
getting a hole in the head present participle
gets a hole in the head third person singular

Morphology

get + a + hole + in + the + head

The phrase 'get a hole in the head' uses a literal image (a physical injury) that does not transparently map onto the idiomatic meaning 'do something extremely foolish or unnecessary.' A B1 learner who knows the constituent words is unlikely to predict the evaluative, idiomatic sense from the parts—this is a language-specific metaphorical extension rather than a compositional meaning.

Etymology

Get a hole in the head makes a shocking picture: someone getting a hole in the head, which would be very painful and make no sense. So people use it to say an idea is 'extremely foolish' or 'unnecessary'.