to do it on one's head
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Said of doing some- thing with consummate ease; a rather scornful expression. "I bet you couldn't walk a mile in seven minutes"; "Pooh! I could do it on my head!
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to do it on one's head” mean?
Said of doing some- thing with consummate ease; a rather scornful expression. "I bet you couldn't walk a mile in seven minutes"; "Pooh! I could do it on my head!
Is “to do it on one's head” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.