have a swelled head
To be conceited, arrogant, or self-aggrandizing. Cheryl has such a big head on her, all she ever talks about is herself. Janice has had a bit of a big head ever since she got that promotion. Samantha has sure had a swelled head ever since her book became a bestseller.
swell
old-fashioned Very nice; excellent. That's a swell idea, Frank. Thanks for the books, Mom, they're swell!
swell out
To bulge or protrude outward. The spot on his head swelled out where he had been hit by the baseball. After the flooding, the walls in the basement began swelling out with excess moisture.
swell up
1. To become large, inflated, or bulging. The girl's arm swelled up where the bee had stung her. The balloon began swelling up with hot air.
2. To become full to capacity (with some emotion). I swelled up with pride after the boss complimented my work. It's so nice seeing all those students swelling up with happiness as they cross the stage and receive their diplomas.
swell with
1. To become inflated or bulging with something. The girl's arm swelled with fluid as a result of the injury. The balloon began swelling with hot air.
2. To become filled with some emotion. I swelled with pride after the boss complimented my work. It's so nice seeing all those students swelling with happiness as they cross the stage and receive their diplomas.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
swell out
to bulge outward; to expand outward. The sides of the box swelled out because it was too full. The west wall of the garage swelled out just before the building collapsed.
swell up
to enlarge; to inflate; to bulge out. I struck my thumb with a hammer and it swelled up something awful.
swell with something
1. Lit. to expand from a particular cause. My knee joints swelled with arthritis, His nose swelled after it was struck by the door.
2. Fig. to seem to swell with a feeling such as pride. His chest swelled with pride at the thought of his good performance. Ted swelled with pride at the announcement.
*swelled head
Fig. a state of being conceited. (Typically: get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) John got a swelled head after he won the prize. Don't get a swelled head from all this success.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
swelled head, have a
Be conceited, as in
Winning all those prizes has not given her a swelled head, at least not yet. This idiom began as
be swellheaded, first recorded in 1817. The present form dates from about 1860. For a synonym see
big head.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
swell up
v.1. To become swollen: I put ice on my injured ankle so that it wouldn't swell up.
2. To become filled, as with pride, arrogance, or anger: The new parents swelled up with pride.
3. To rise or surge from an inner source: After I was fired unjustly, rage swelled up within me.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
swell
mod. fine; excellent. (Also sarcastic use.) Where did you get that swell hat?
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
swelled head, to have a
To be conceited. The image conveyed is that of having one’s self-importance augment one’s head size. The term dates from the nineteenth century. J. J. Cooper used it with appropriate disgust (Simon Suggs’ Adventures, 1845): “They’re all a pack of d——d swell-heads.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer