Head-scratcher

//ˈhɛdˌskɹæt͡ʃɚ// noun, slang

noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Something particularly puzzling or confusing. figuratively, informal

    "Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher"

  2. 2
    A device used to scratch the head. literally

    "Her aunt's husband or her grandfather brings a head scratcher. "If the maid scratched her hair or body with her fingers during these days of observance, her hair would fall out.""

Synonyms

All synonyms
nutcrackerposerstumper

Example

More examples

"Golden Globes nominations a head-scratcher"

Etymology

From head + scratcher. Literal sense from 1873, figurative from 1971.

More for "head-scratcher"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.