headdesk

H4E1A1D2D2E1S1K5
/ˈhɛd.dɛsk/

interjection

Used to express frustration or irritated disbelief, from the tendency of annoyed or irritated people to want to repeatedly bang their heads against their desk.

Scrabble 17

Meanings

interjection
  1. Used to express frustration or irritated disbelief, from the tendency of annoyed or irritated people to want to repeatedly bang their heads against their desk.

    *thump* *thump* *thump* *thump*[1] ... [1] head/desk interface sounds

    1999 May 30, Antony Espindola, “Re: Top Ten Signs A Guest At Your Memorial Day Barbecue Is A Spy”, in alt.fan.james-bond (Usenet), retrieved 08 Feb 2017, message-ID <37513F4E.CB1511E7@Netscape.net>
    5 more examples

    And as we leave, the shybies immediately complain that, although they would have liked to be in the musical, it was hardly fair that they were forced to perform with no script or rehearsal and without even a passed audition confirming they were fit for the part; in fact, it could have been done deliberately to oppress and humiliate them. Head, desk. Thump. Thump. Thump.

    2001 August 16, Mark Green, “Re: Are shy people oppressed”, in alt.support.shyness (Usenet), retrieved 08 Feb 2017, message-ID <88139ee2.0108160306.5a56d802@posting.google.com>

    It would still be very fun to do. Sweetie looked at me really funny when I told him about it. He didn't get it either *head-desk, head-desk*

    2002 October 22, Mariot MacFarlane, “Re: Dickens Faire: looking for garb to borrow”, in alt.fairs.renaissance (Usenet), retrieved 08 Feb 2017, message-ID <hGdt9.601$zR7.44124330@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com>

    Headdesk. Gillian, Gillian. You don't need another chemistry class; you need to go to charm school.

    2008, Shelley Adina, The Fruit of My Lipstick, FaithWords, →ISBN

    Apparently the reason I am weirded out by the idea of Mum getting porny with Invisible Ray Who May Not Even Exist is because I am afraid this means I am being replaced. Er, dude, I am her daughter? And he is (possibly, depending on invisibility/existingness) her bloke? Not. The. Same. *headdesk*

    2008, Susie Day, serafina67 *urgently requires life*, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 154

    berrygirl: *headdesk* um, i don't know, maybe because we have absolutely nothing in common? at ALL?

    2010, Susane Colasanti, Something Like Fate, Viking, →ISBN
verbheaddesk (third-person singular simple present headdesks, present participle headdesking, simple past and past participle headdesked)

present singular third person headdesks · participle present headdesking · participle past headdesked · past headdesked

  1. slangTo bang one's head against the desk in frustration; (by extension) to express annoyance or exasperation.

    In no time at all you'll be headdesking just like a dog trainer, wailing at people's misinterpretations of their dogs.

    2011, Jolanta Benal, The Dog Trainer's Complete Guide to a Happy, Well-Behaved Pet, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN, page 145
    3 more examples

    Hopefully this will save someone else some head-desking; I'll see about writing up a patch for the docs describing this (unless I discover that I've been blind and this is, indeed, documented somewhere). :-D

    2006 August 8, Tom Tobin, “Re: MR: _manipulator_validate_FIELD() methods?”, in django-users (Usenet), retrieved 08 Feb 2017, message-ID <1fb3de5c0608081824j766463g52e109c405b18105@mail.gmail.com>

    The only reason I am not actually headdesking at him right now is because I have apparently devoted a disproportionate amount of migraine space to him already, and I wouldn't want to have my indignation at fictional characters distributed unfairly, quelle horreur!

    2014, Leigh Butler, Re-Reading Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Tor, →ISBN

    She made them tell her everything, then had Ellis re-explain in layman's terms while I sat there mentally headdesking.

    2015, Leah Raeder, Cam Girl, Atria, →ISBN

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

headdesk. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headdesk

MLA

“headdesk.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headdesk. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “headdesk,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/headdesk.

Source: headdesk on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.