cabbage-head
Definition
- Noun:
- A head of cabbage: "cabbage-head" refers literally to the compact, round mass of leaves that forms the edible part of a cabbage plant.
- A stupid person (informal, derogatory): In informal usage, "cabbage-head" is a slang term for a person who is considered dull, foolish, or slow-witted.
Usage Examples
Literal meaning:
- She chopped the cabbage-head into thin strips for the coleslaw. (The edible, round part of a cabbage plant.)
- The farmer harvested several cabbage-heads from the garden. (Multiple heads of cabbage.)
Figurative meaning (insult):
- Don't be such a cabbage-head; you forgot your keys again. (A foolish or absent-minded person.)
- He called his opponent a cabbage-head during the argument. (An insult meaning stupid.)
Advanced Usage
"to have a cabbage-head": to be considered unintelligent or slow.
- Everyone thinks he has a cabbage-head because he never understands simple instructions. (He is perceived as stupid.)
"cabbage-headed" (adj): describing someone as foolish.
- That cabbage-headed idea will never work. (A stupid or ill-conceived idea.)
Variants and Related Words
Cabbage (n): the plant itself, or the leaves collectively.
- She boiled the cabbage for dinner. (The leafy vegetable, not specifically the head.)
Cabbagehead (n, variant spelling): same as "cabbage-head," used interchangeably.
- He is a real cabbagehead. (He is very foolish.)
Synonyms
- Dunce: a person who is slow at learning.
- Blockhead: a stupid person (similar informal insult).
- Simpleton: a person lacking intelligence or common sense.
Phrasal Verbs
Related Idioms
"Cabbage-head" itself is used as a fixed insult, similar to "numbskull" or "airhead."
- Stop acting like a cabbage-head and pay attention. (Stop being foolish.)
"Head like a cabbage": a rare variant meaning a large, round, or empty head (implying stupidity).
- He has a head like a cabbage — all show, no brain. (He appears big but is foolish.)