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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
translation icon : 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 shoot oneself in the foot
vsto get a hole in the head
  • Informal
20 8.4

Do or say something that harms your own chances

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

Antonyms

wisely
112 2.3

To act with good sense and careful thought

to think twice
  • Informal
107 3.6

Carefully consider something before you act to avoid a mistake

How Foolish

to get a hole in the head
  • Informal
9.9
unwise
40 3.5
silly
976 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'.