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upside the head

Idioms  
  1. Against the side of someone's head, as in With those nightsticks the police are known for knocking suspects upside the head. [Slang; second half of 1900s]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

How do you square this with him fully signing off on a Gorsuch opinion smacking trial court judges upside the head?

From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025

You can see when it happens to and for Linda, Bridget Christie’s heroine in “The Change,” because it slaps her upside the head.

From Salon • Aug. 19, 2024

Music led him to culturally cross over, but the conflict within his racial identity was established after Gran Mimi slapped him upside the head and told him “You are not Creole!”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

“This is the last slap upside the head we’re going to get when it might still matter,” said Bill McKibben, a longtime climate activist.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2023

They pulled off their knitted skullcaps and slapped one another upside the head with them.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

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