What Was the Original Version of “Head Over Heels”?
What does the phrase “falling head over heels” mean to you? The literal definition of the phrase is “turning over completely in forward motion, as in a somersault.” But you can also fall head over heels for a person — meaning you’re madly in love with them. While “head over
heels” trips off the tongue naturally, the original wording of the phrase was “heels over head.” This flip-flop seems appropriate for the topsy-turvy nature of the expression. The Oxford English Dictionary tracks an early usage of the term to around 1400, and in 1653, an English translation by Thomas Urqhart...
