We used Temi to auto transcribe this, then Dan went through and checked it based on the show notes. He tried really hard on it, but this kind of stuff isn't his specialty. So if you notice anything confusing, please comment on this post so Dan can look at it and clarify anything.
Shauna: 00:00 Welcome
to bunny trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase. I'm
Shauna Harrison
Dan: 00:06 and
I'm Dan Pugh. Each week we delve into the origin and history of an idiom or
other turn of phrase and discuss how it's been used over time. Shauna, we are
nearing the end of season two. We have one more episode after this and then
we'll take a break for a couple of weeks to rejuvenate and focus on other
things while everyone is celebrating the winter holidays like Christmas,
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, boxing day, new year's and probably many others that I've
either forgotten about or maybe don't even know about.
Dan: 00:38 Yeah,
I wrote it down. It's in the script so it works out pretty well, but I didn't
look anything up so those are just the ones I came up with off the top of my
head. Well, so for listeners this holiday season is the best time to catch up
on our 70 other episodes so you can learn more about this silly language we
call English. Patrons you will continue to get content over the break. We are
working on some tweaks for season three. We'll talk more about the Patreon a
little later, but first let's jump right into this week's idiom. Head over
heels.
Dan: 01:10 Yes,
it was a very fun, it was a very fun research for me. So right off the bat,
according to the Oxford English dictionary, we have two definitions for
head-over-heels, one for the literal and one for a more figurative. So with the
literal, with reference to falling tumbling so that once heels are in the air
and one's head is below them, so as to turn completely over as in a somersault
or a word that they use, headlong. In a figurative sense though in a particular
state, especially that of being in love to an extent or in a manner which
suggests complete lack of control or reservation, headlong, abandonedly,
hopelessly, utterly.
Dan: 01:52 One
of the first things that I will just say right off the bat, and because I have
heard this said over and over again, but Davy Crockett did not coin the phrase
head over heels in love. It's not, not only did he not create it, it was in
use, well frankly for many, many, many, many years before his autobiography
came out. And his isn't even the first time we see it attested in the English
language in print.
Dan: 02:20 Well,
it's all over the internet, so absolutely not. But of course, head over Heels
is actually many hundreds of years older, uh, in the figurative use of being
completely immersed in something, uh, or completely overtaken by it. Uh, that
even that figurative use has been used for hundreds of years before Davy
Crockett was even born. So, uh, I'll just dispel that internet myth right now.
Shauna: 02:43 Taken
care of, um, I always thought this was kind of a silly idiom, uh, cause like
head over heels,
Dan: 02:50 Right.
As a kid, I never understood the phrase either because my head is always over
my heels. In fact, I very much despise having my head lower than other part of
my body for almost any reason.
Dan: 03:08 well
interesting you say that because that is exactly how the idiom started. Yes,
the phrase was heels overhead and many other variants there in. But first I
want to address something that I, another origin story I saw. Um, and, and
something that I was told when I was young and I would not have even thought to
mention it except I heard it on a podcast the other day as well as being the
origin story, which it is not. Uh, and so I was listening to the dear Hank and
John podcast, which admittedly the brothers green are very clear that they give
dubious advice on this show. So you are not supposed to actually do anything
they say. But um, oftentimes they do give really good advice or historical
fact, but sometimes it's really difficult to parse when they're being serious
and when they're not being serious more often with Hank because Hank is a
science guy and he sometimes will just make something up and fool everyone. It
sounds like it's real. John is pretty genuine in everything he says. And when
he is, when he is making something up, which is rare, he, he can't even keep a
straight face.
Shauna: 04:14 Right?
Yeah. You can hear him laughing when he's trying to tell like when he's trying
to lay one over, you know?
Dan: 04:20 Yes,
absolutely. So, but anyway, uh, the, the idea was that um, the head over Heels
wasn't referring to flipping or chaos or immersion, but instead referring to
the fact that your head may be higher than your heels, but it isn't over your
Heels. So when you're standing, your head is actually slightly forward from
where your heels are. And if your head were to be over your heels, then you
would actually be a little out of balance and could cause you to fall over.
Shauna: 04:50 Yeah.
So don't try this right now, but sometime when you're like in a safe place, put
pillows out all over the floor and then try and stand with your head back over
your heels.
Dan: 05:00 And
it's easy to do. I did it when I was looking at this. In fact, I did it right
when I heard Hank green talking about it. But I, and I, and I remembered that I
had also been told that as a kid that that was the reason. Uh, but it's
absolute crap. This is not the reason. Um, now I will say that description does
match up a little bit with the boxing idiom to put him on his heels, uh, or on
his Heel or turn on their heels. So that originated in the late 18 hundreds in
the sport of boxing, as I mentioned, and meant to knock a person backwards. And
in the early 19 hundreds, it came to mean putting someone on the defensive. And
now if I were to say someone's on their heels or they've turned on their heels,
I would mean that they're either on their defensive or they're running away.
Right. But it does seem to make more sense as you said, if we said heels over
head. Right. And we did.
Shauna: 05:49 That's
so awesome. I imagine like head over heels, somebody just like changed it
without even thinking about it and cause it sounds better, like better flow.
Dan: 05:59 It
is a, um, a more pleasant mouth feel, which is the grossest thing I've ever
said on this podcast. So heels over head actually started in, uh, the late 13
hundreds, uh, and we have it attested either 1380 or 1400, according to the
Oxford English dictionary. And this is in the book Patience which was by an
unknown author, uh, where he basically says, and heels over head our land
about. So that's the first time we see it. Now this in this case ha, uh, heels
over head, which is also listed in the Oxford English dictionary is, is a
literal thing so that ones heels are in the air and one's head is below them,
so as to turn completely over as an a somersault. Right. And this is also in a
figurative, so, so as to be in a state of chaos or disorder. So topsy turvy
what also match this heels overh ead definition.
Shauna: 06:53 Gotcha.
Okay. Yeah, that's a long time ago. I didn't realize it was that, that's pretty
cool.
Dan: 06:57 And
it, it wouldn't, it wasn't used even when it was used figuratively, which it
was by the 16 hundreds. We see it using used literally and figuratively, pretty
interchangeably. Uh, but it really, when we think of head over heels now, we
often times think of head over heels in love and that didn't happen until a
little bit later, but we'll get there.
Shauna: 07:15 Gotcha.
I always associated it with the like sense of a loss of control. So you know
like when you're on a swing and you swing really high and so you're on the way
forward and your feet get up over above your head.
Shauna: 07:29 yeah,
I love that part. Right. Just before you come back down where you're floating
almost. Um, yeah,
Dan: 07:35 that's
how they do a Zeo grav with the, with some astronauts and others is they'll do
that. They'll fly like parabolas the parabolic, the parabolic. Is it a parabola
or is it a pair up pair of Bulla? What
Shauna: 07:47 it's
a parabola is the shape and then parabolic would be the mood, the shape of the
movement or the, yeah.
Dan: 07:54 All
right. Fair enough. Okay. I will give a couple of other examples here. One more
example of the Heels over head here. And this is from 1653 François Rabelais
the first book of the works of mr François Rabelais. And this was translated by
Thomas Urquhart.
Dan: 08:13 Yay.
And uh, and this is, this is the quote, he incontinently turned, heels overhead
in the air and straight found himself bit Twix, the bow of the saddle and in
good settlement I'm pretty sure that was probably supposed to said bow and I
just mispronounced it, the bow of the saddle, the saddle in that.
Dan: 08:38 No,
I always said his name once on the podcast because I get to edit it. Also found
other examples of heels over something. Uh, and this was in the Scottish
language during the mid 17 hundreds and throughout the 18 hundreds where they
would say heels over Gowdy.
Dan: 08:59 But
the in the Oxford English dictionary. I will, I will tell you if you'll stop
interrupting me.
Dan: 09:06 And
you will! In the Oxford English dictionary, they with a question mark say
perhaps from Goldy as in like a story of Goldilocks or Goldie meaning a slang
for a head. So in this case, heels over Gowdy might be a Scottish slang of the
late 17 hundreds, early 18 hundreds for the head.
Dan: 09:31 That
is their, that is their presumption, but they, uh, make it clear that this is
unknown. There are also examples in the forms, over head and ears, head and
ears, and head over ears, all meaning figuratively, so as to be deeply immersed
or involved in something. And here are some examples of this. This is an
example from Abraham Fleming from a panoply of epistles. Now, panoply is a full
suit of armor. And so this is from Abraham Fleming 1576 that man should lie and
shroud himself head and ears in slothfulness. We also see another example of
this head and ears, 1660 John Harding in "Paracelsus, his Archidoxis
comprised in 10 books disclosing the genuine way of making, Quintessences,
Arcanums, majestries, elixirs and others together with his books of renovation
and restoration." That's the whole title .
Dan: 10:34 Well
you know, 1668. There you go. So and in John Hardin's work, he says they are
sunk head and ears in the glory of the world.
Shauna: 10:43 Yeah,
I guess they got to get all their eloquence into the title of the book cause
they just put like regular old plain speak inside it.
Dan: 10:51 Well.
So in this case and well on all of these cases with head and ears, these uh,
both of these situations we see them figuratively and so being totally immersed
and it would be easy to see a transition from us. I mean we do this all the
time with, with idioms where we slightly alter an idiom. It's still understood
by the speakers where we could say head and ears or over head and ears and you
know, over time wording would change a little bit but it means the same thing.
And so it's really easy to see how a total immersion would eventually by the,
uh, 17 hundreds, mid 17 hundreds, uh, become head over heels in love because
you're totally immersed in the relationship kind of thing. All right, so let's
now talk about when we're seeing head over heels. And the first time we see
head over heels or head and heels is in hex comes dictionary.
Dan: 11:42 Um,
and this was in 1678 and this is where they said tumble over head and heels.
Now this is a, they're defining the word rol-bollen, which is a slang term
rol-Bollen, R, O, L - B, O,L , L, E,N , which I may be mispronouncing, but
they're defining it as tumble over head and heels. And remember we already said
that we'd seen over heel and head and over head and ears. So tumble over head
and heels was a phrase that we, we know they were obviously using because they
used it in the definition for a word in a dictionary in 1678. We just happened
to see it in print there. Uh, for one of the first times. We also see it
figuratively used in 1710 in James Drake's Works Lucian. And this is where he
said, you seem to be wholly lost in thought and retired into the inner most
cabinet of your breast reeling and tumbling head over heels.
Dan: 12:44 Now
there's, we are looking in that, I was able to find a little bit of this and
it's, it's translated from Greek, but it looks like, I don't think he's
necessarily talking specifically about love here, but more in like pride. Um,
but it's definitely used figuratively in this, in this way in 1710 being
completely immersed and lost in an emotion. I will include this out of 1771 by
Herbert Lawrence. This is out of the contemplate of man or the history of
Christopher crab, Esquire of North Wales. The reason I'm going to include this
is because I frequently see this being cited as the first time we see head over
Heels in print. And, sometimes they'll say, this is the first time we see it
used figuratively. Um, but other times they'll say, this is just the first time
we saw it used at all. Uh, although I just gave many other examples in print of
things happening before this particular work of art.
Dan: 13:39 So
this is not true. However, this is an actual work here. Herbert Lawrence, uh,
the contemplate of man and he says he gave him such a violent, involuntary kick
in the face as drove him head over heels. Ouch. Now in this particular book,
Lawrence is using this literally, uh, meaning meaning knocked him so that he
does the somersault like, uh, like the term was used at the time. Uh, so not in
a figurative sense of, of an emotional confusion, but in a physical, uh,
upheaval. So, but so and, and also the Oxford English dictionary also puts this
in that literal translate in that literal usage. Uh, so I find it very
interesting when not only is it used as the supposedly origin, but also, uh,
used in the figurative sense as opposed to origin because it is not. So it is
just a lot of people that are copying other things on the internet.
Dan: 14:35 And
then claiming that these are origin stories. But, uh, my experience, for in the
two years that we've been doing this podcast is that is the vast majority of
things you find on the internet are, are just copies of a copy of a copy of a
copy. And everyone cites the same thing, but literally a 10 minute search
through book archives, uh, or newspaper archives will often times net you
earlier usages of it and immediately call into question everything printed on
that, uh, in that article. Yes, absolutely. Here's another example of a
figurative use in William Livingston's letters. This one was dated June 18th,
1778, and he says, now, behold, I find myself head over heels in debt to you.
So again, not using love or pride in this case, but debt specifically, I owe you
a great thing and I am immersed in the in the debt of gratitude or the
potentially debt of money, this person.
Dan: 15:36 And
as I said earlier, I saw several, uh, attributions of head over heels in love
given to Davy Crockett because the phrase was used in his autobiographical 1843
work. The narrative life of Davy Crockett. However, there are several examples
of the phrase before that. The earliest I found and I did not spend just a
whole lot of time, I couldn't find newspaper articles before 1800 that used it.
But there is this book by Fred Ludlow, uh, it's called tales and sketches of
old and new Bristol. I will note that most everything I read said head over
heels in love was an Americanism that that was created in America. But this is
a, an English book that was written in England and sold in England. So that
clearly it was being used before that in England. Uh, as well. And I would say
that since this book came out in 1800, uh, was obviously started before that.
Dan: 16:28 So
the phrase is clearly head over heels in love was clearly used in the 17
hundreds, although maybe the late 17 hundreds. Uh, and this is from Fred
Ludlow. I left Hester banner at the door of her parents' house and I went home
violently deliriously head over heels in love. Yes, I had caught the infection
badly. Hmm. I like that the, the violently deliriously head over heels in love.
Yeah, it's awesome. It's very sweet. I also saw this in Grahams, American
monthly magazine of literature, art and they, and then they have an ellipsis
there. That's the title. So I, I spent an an insane amount of time trying to
figure out what the and, and, and the ellipsis. I'm like, where, where does it,
no, it's just, that's actually just the title. I finally found a copy of the
work and uh, so I could read it and get a little more understanding of the
meaning behind it and found that the copy just said literature, art and
ellipsis.
Dan: 17:24 And
I was like, Oh, that's the three dots. If we say ellipsis we're talking about
those three dots, that means there's more to follow. And this was from a
volumes 22 and 23 which are in one, uh, one booklet and this was from 1813. Mr
Wildrake Hasty who after a headlong quarrel with his guardians concerning the
amount of his allowance while under age scampered over with sir Walter Raleigh
and falling head over heels in love. That very first day after he landed was
married in a month and became the founder of our family on this side of the
water.
Dan: 18:00 Yeah,
yeah. Obviously and no one is, no one in any of these works is defining what
head over heels in love means. So it's clearly, it was clearly used at the
time, so I would, I would say that head over heels, there's pretty good
evidence to show that head over heels in love was a common enough statement in
the 17 hundreds maybe the late 17 hundreds but definitely at least in the 17
hundreds we also see in a the new English drama volume 12 this is by William
Oxbury actually it was edited by William Oxbury, but his is the only name I
could find attached to this in any way, shape or form. So I'm just going to
give him the credit. And this is what was in 1820.
Dan: 18:43 If
by good luck the count had not rescued her from the giant hot show and
instantly fallen head over heels in love with her himself.
Dan: 18:53 So
head over heels as we use it today started as heels overhead in the late 13
hundreds or possibly the early 14 hundreds because uh, dating, uh, older
English works is hard and, and it meant a literal flipping of the body and a
figurative of being fully immersed. At some point it morphed as languages want
to do if you variant ways of saying it, like overhead and heel. And then
finally in the late 17, hundreds came to be used as a descriptor for being
totally immersed in love.
Shauna: 19:25 bunny
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Dan: 20:48 about
more modern usages, uh, with a beautiful artwork by Rosie Chomet. She is an
award winning illustrator and digital designer. The image shows a couple
kissing and one of them is floating with her heels above her head and the
caption reads, head over heels in love. Rosie sent this to us on Twitter in
February of 2019 and we loved it so much that we asked if we could use it for
our episode art and being the gracious person she is. She said yes. So you
should be able to see it on your podcast app. I'm also going to recommend you
head on over to Rosie's Instagram and check out all of her work and on
Instagram she is Rosie Chomet. That is R O. S. I. E. C H. O. M. E. T. plus. I
saw her commissions are open. So if you're looking for a custom artwork then
check it out.
Dan: 21:41 I,
another time that we saw head over heels is an in 1985 song by tears for fears
off the album, songs from the big chair. This was one that I didn't know if I
had heard or not. So I went on a and listened to the official music video. It
is very classically in 1980s music video by the way, but I did recognize the
song pretty quickly. The chorus says something happens and I'm head over heels.
I'll never find out till I'm head over heels. Something happens and I'm head over
heels are, don't take my heart. Don't break my heart. Don't, don't, don't throw
it away.
Dan: 22:19 Yeah.
The uh, the music video takes place in a library and he is singing to a very
stern, angry looking librarian.
Dan: 22:27 Yes,
I know. Which made it even more like appropriate for our show because we are
huge fans of the library.
Dan: 22:34 In
fact, we write some of our episodes at the library, at our, at our hometown
public library.
New
Speaker: 22:43 There's
also a movie from 2001 called head over heels. Here's the synopsis, although
she has an excellent job at the metropolitan museum of art and the fabulous
apartment with model roommates. New Yorker, Amanda Pierce played by Monica Potter,
remains unlucky in love and intent on finding the right guy when she develops a
crush on neighbor Jim Winston played by Freddie Prinze jr she begins to spy on
him and witnesses his apparent involvement in a murder. Since things don't add
up, she tries to figure out what really happened and if she still has a shot at
dating the guy,
Shauna: 23:18 Oh
my goodness. I get like at first I was like, yeah, I'm not much into love
stories type stuff, but I am a huge fan of, um, you know, the met.
Shauna: 23:32 Okay.
So, yeah, and I like that and I'm a whole, I'm all on the like, okay. Uh, we're
going to see if he murdered someone and if I can still date him regardless.
Dan: 23:40 He's
cute, so I'm totally in. Yeah. All right. We also saw a 2014 book called head
over heels. This is by Jill Shalvis. She is a New York times bestselling
author, breaking rules and breaking hearts free spirited. Chloe lives life on
the edge. Unlike her soon to be married. Sisters, she isn't ready to settle
into a quiet life, running their families newly renovated inn but soon. Her
love of trouble and trouble with love draws the attention of the very stern,
very sexy sheriff who would like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.
Suddenly Chloe can't take a misstep without the sheriff. Hot on her heels his
rugged swagger and his enigmatic smile are enough to make any girl begged to be
handcuffed for the first time instead of avoiding the law. Chloe dreams of
surrender. Can this rebel find a way to keep the peace with the straight lace
sheriff over Chloe's colorful past, keep her from a love that lasts and the
safe Haven she truly wants in a town called lucky Harbor.
Dan: 24:42 Oh
boy. I don't know. Now I'm hot, huh man. Uh, this is part of the lucky Harbor
series. There are like 20 books in the series, but it's not like they don't
necessarily build off of each other. So I went to the website, which is just
www.JillShalvis.com J I L L S H A L V I S.com. And uh, so there are like 20
books in this series, the lucky Harbor series, and it's kind of more a story of
the town and the people in it. So you can read them in any order. It's not like
you had to have read another one, but this is the third in the series. But it
makes it clear you can read them in any order. Obviously, I believe this is a
romance style novel. Not normally my style, but the synopsis is just really
good. And as you can tell, I have a hard time. I had a hard time reading it
without, uh, losing it.
Dan: 25:33 All
right. In 2018, there was a Broadway musical called head over heels. It was
built as a new musical where once upon a time is right now, this was directed
by Michael Mayer. Head over heels is a bold new musical comedy from the
visionaries that rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the angry inch Avenue Q and
spring awakening. It's played its final Broadway performance on January 6th
2018 this laugh out loud. Love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980s
all female rock band, the Go-Go's, including the hit songs. We got the beat.
Our lips are sealed vacation. Belinda Carlisle's. Heaven is a place on earth
and mad about you, a modern musical fairy tale where once upon a time is right
now it follows the escapades of a Royal family who set out on a journey to save
their beloved kingdom from extinction. New York magazine calls it a clever,
delightful, bubbly, exuberant party. I saw somebody else call it saucy. Yeah.
If it was from the same people that did a Avenue Q then. All right. I could see
that.
Shauna: 26:38 I
was not sure what direction it was going to go until you listed. I can tell you
said it was that was doing it and I was like, Oh yeah, that might be a really
interesting,
Dan: 26:49 well
that about wraps us up for today. Again, I want to say special thanks to Rosie
Chomet for the use of our artwork with the episode today. She is such a
talented artist and I highly recommend you check out her work. You can find her
on Instagram, Rosie Chomet, R. O. S. I. E. C H. O. M. E. T. www.instagram.com/rosiechomet I also would
recommend that you head over to Patrion if you're interested in keeping track
of what we're doing during the break. We will be back in mid January. We've got
one more episode before the end of this season. Uh, but all our patrons at any
level will get information throughout the holiday break. So I definitely
recommend you go over there and check it out
Shauna: 27:26 and
whether you have travel plans or will be staying home. The holidays are a great
time to introduce the show to your friends and family. Word of mouth is the
best advertising a show can get, and for those who need a little extra
assistance, show them how to listen to podcasts on their devices and how to subscribe
to bunny trails if that's their kind of thing. Thanks again for joining us and
we'll talk to you again next week. Until then, remember,
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