loggerhead

Meaning

Noun

• A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt.
• A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a liquid) to melt or heat it.
• A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope.
• A thistle-like flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed (Centaurea nigra (species)).

Origin

• From logger + head. Logger was apparently coined because its sound connotes a clumsy, heavy object; compare log.