Also: Hang one’s head in shame
Meaning of Idiom ‘Hang One’s Head’
To hang (your, his, her) head means to express shame, contrition, or embarrassment; to appear embarrassed or ashamed. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.
Examples Of Use
“Nobody should be hanging their head,” said the coach. “We’re all winners here.”
“The student hung his head in shame after failing the quiz.”
Origin
Used since the 1200s, this idiom alludes to physically lowering one’s head as an expression of embarrassment, shame, contrition, or remorse.
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More Head Idioms
- Hard-Headed
- Running Around Like a Chicken With its Head Cut Off
- Off the Top Of My Head
- Hit the Nail On the Head
- Head Of The Class
- Go To Someone’s Head
- Enter One’s Head
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Sources
| ↲ 1 | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| ↲ 2 | Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. |