head-shrinker

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head-shrinker

Where it comes from

Originally US, probably by reference to slang terms like “swelled head” for someone with delusions of grandeur; a psychiatrist would remove such delusions, thus figuratively shrinking the patient's swelled head.

noun head-shrinkers · headshrinker

slang A psychiatrist or psychotherapist; a shrink. DIESEL: In the opinion on this court, this child is depraved on account he ain't had a normal home. ACTION: Hey, I'm depraved on account I'm deprived. DIESEL: So take him to a headshrinker.
Similar: headshrink, shrink, trick cyclist
literally One who shrinks heads, as previously done by some Amazon tribes. I listened to the sculptor of Dead Dad give an interview to a European television station while he crouched by the shrunken corpse of his own creation, a huge technical advance over the headshrinkers of New Guinea.

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MLA

"head-shrinker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/head-shrinker. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

head-shrinker. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/head-shrinker

Chicago

"head-shrinker." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/head-shrinker.

BibTeX

@misc{head_shrinker_2026,
  title = {head-shrinker},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/head-shrinker},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}