hand someone their head

verb

To kill, especially by beheading.

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Meanings

verbhand someone their head (third-person singular simple present hands someone their head, present participle handing someone their head, simple past and past participle handed someone their head)

present singular third person hands someone their head · participle present handing someone their head · participle past handed someone their head · past handed someone their head · alternative hand someone their head on a plate · alternative hand someone their head on a platter

  1. To kill, especially by beheading.
  2. broadlyidiomaticTo destroy; to defeat utterly.

Origin

Possibly an allusion to the story of Salome demanding the head of John the Baptist in a charger.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hand someone their head. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hand%20someone%20their%20head

MLA

“hand someone their head.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hand%20someone%20their%20head. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hand someone their head,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hand%20someone%20their%20head.

Source: hand someone their head on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.