squarehead
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈskwɛəhɛd/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈskwɛɚhɛd/
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
squarehead (plural squareheads)
- (slang) An honest person; a non-criminal.
- (slang) A foreigner of Germanic origin, especially a German, Dutch, or Scandinavian person.
- 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), page 771:
- The squarehead bent his chin to his breast and said, "Very well. In an hour."
- 2022, Brian Penton, Landtakers: The Story of an Epoch:
- "If I'm good enough to talk about I be good enough to drink with," Peters shouted. "Fritz! Squarehead! Two phlegm-cutters here."
- (slang) A socially conventional or boring person.
Usage notes
- 'Squarehead' is a literal translation of the term tête carrée used by French-Canadians to describe English-Canadians, especially those who do not or prefer not to speak French.
References
- John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “squarehead”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.