IdiomBody & Senses

English

forget one's own head

Meaning: To be extremely forgetful.

Example: “She's lost her glasses again; she'd forget her own head if it wasn't screwed on.”

Origin: Usually said in full: "he'd forget his own head if it wasn't screwed on." The joke is recorded from the 19th century.

Equivalents in other languages

Italian: smemorato di Collegno Literally: The forgetful one of Collegno

More English idioms

any old how Carelessly, with no attention to doing it properly.
where the sun doesn't shine Somewhere hidden; also a rude way of naming the body.
without a fight With no resistance at all.
pave the way To prepare the ground so that something can happen later.
catch someone off guard To surprise someone who is not prepared.
all at once Suddenly, with no warning.

Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words

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Boketto Staring off into the distance with your mind pleasantly empty, thinking of nothing at all.
Pålegg Anything you might put on a slice of bread — cheese, ham, jam, egg, whatever — gathered u…
Avos' A blind, hopeful trust that things will somehow work out on their own — leaving the outco…

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