Bite Someone’s Head Off

meaning of idiom "bite someone's head off"

Also: Snap someone’s head off

Meaning of Idiom ‘To Bite Someone’s Head Off’

To bite someone’s head off means to reply or speak to someone in a very sharp and angry way; to scold harshly. 1,2,3

Sentence Examples

“I know you had a bad day but you don’t have to bite my head off. All I said was hello!”

“I asked Sabrina when she wanted to leave in the morning and she bit my head off. I think she can get a ride from someone else!”

“l’ll get home when l’m finished, not a second before. ls that clear? ls that clear?” “You don’t have to bite my head off.” — Falling Down (1993)

” Oh, maybe the eggs aren’t fresh. Julia says the eggs have to be fresh. “They are fresh.” “Okay. You don’t have to bite my head off. I’m just quoting Julia.” — Julie & Julia (2009)

“If l don’t talk, you get mad. lf l say anything, you bite my head off…” — The Man with the Golden Arm (1956)

Origin

This idiom derived from a much older idiom, dating from the 1500’s, bite someone’s nose off. The present idiom has been used since the mid-1900s, and the variant snap someone’s head off rarely used, since at least 1886. 2

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References
  1. Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
  2. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
  3. Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.