head-scratcher

See also: headscratcher and head scratcher

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From head +‎ scratcher. Literal sense from 1873, figurative from 1971.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈhɛdˌskɹæt͡ʃɚ/ (please verify)
    • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Noun

head-scratcher (plural head-scratchers)

  1. (figuratively, informal) Something particularly puzzling or confusing.
    Synonyms: poser, stumper
    • 2007 December, “Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher”, in Daily News Tribune‎[1]:
      Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher
    • 2002 July, “Attorney: Williams' Kids Near Compromise About Father's Remains”, in Fox News‎[2]:
      "A judge will decide what is the most logical, although I'm sure to some judges [freezing the body] will seem like science fiction and a wild scheme," McDonald said. "Other judges make think this is a good thing. It will be a head scratcher for the judge."
    • 2025 August 23, Janan Ganesh, “How English costs the English”, in FT Weekend, Life & Arts, page 19:
      As nice as it is, the current American taste for that place (where Ellen DeGeneres lives) [Cotswolds] is a head-scratcher.
  2. (literally) A device used to scratch the head.
    • 2004, Kelley Hays-Gilpin, Ambiguous Images: Gender and Rock Art‎[3], →ISBN, page 133:
      Her aunt's husband or her grandfather brings a head scratcher. "If the maid scratched her hair or body with her fingers during these days of observance, her hair would fall out."
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.