have a swelled head

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.

See also: have, head, swell

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*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.

See also: head, swell

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.

See also: have, swell

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.

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.”

See also: have, swell, to

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer