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]

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Example Sentences

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

From Slate

Naturally, this new, made-up job title pushes someone else out of Oliver’s circle — an apt shape, given that what goes around eventually comes back around to smack Matthew upside the head when the same thing happens to him.

From Salon

“People aren’t being hit upside the head with the size of the problem, because they throw out a quarter sandwich here and a couple eggs there, not everything in their fridge. Maybe if groceries keep getting more expensive, they’ll finally make the connection.”

From Slate

The business of the NBA had just smacked him directly upside the head, a team showing little hesitation to send him out the door only to be forced into welcoming him back because of a failed physical by Williams.

From Los Angeles Times

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