headfirst

Everyday

1. With your head going in front of the rest of your body. tree →
2. Without stopping to think first; too quickly («rush headfirst into something»). tree →

In the lessons

In swimming and water safety it is very important: never dive headfirst into shallow or unknown water, because you can hit the bottom and break your neck. In stories it shows speed or rashness: «fell headfirst», «slid headfirst», «jumped headfirst into the plan».

Examples

• He slid headfirst down the slide. tree →
• Never dive headfirst into a pool if you do not know how deep it is. tree →
• The cat fell headfirst into the laundry basket. tree →
• She ran headfirst into the adventure without a plan. tree →
• The baseball player slid headfirst into the base. tree →
• The diver went in headfirst with a neat splash. tree →
• She plunged headfirst into the hole, and slid down the shaft after her baby. tree →

Note

Can be written as one word, two words or with a hyphen. It is an adverb («fell headfirst»), not «headfirstly». Opposite direction: «feet first». The second meaning is about acting without thinking, like «rush in».