hed

The headline of a news story.

Noun

  1. The headline of a news story.
  2. Archaic spelling of head.

Origin

Deliberately altered spelling of head, to distinguish the word as not belonging in a journalistic story. Compare lede (“lead, introduction”). Also an archaic spelling.

Forms

heds

Related

K-hed unhed

Verb alt of, nonstandard

  1. Pronunciation spelling of had, representing dialectal English.
    • He told me he had got a queer critter that had come to his garden, and to his mind it was very like a little pig—in fact, “fust off he reckoned it was one o’ his young snorkers hed got out.[…]” - 1891 February, a Son of...
    • It hed seven rooms and he ruffed it all over, sides an’ all. / [“Roofed the sides?”] / Thet’s what,—kivered the hull biz with shingles clean down to the ground—an’, Jimminy Crickets! the number o’ little balc’nys, an’...
    • ‘An’ th’ dumblasted rascal hed to go an’ git gay wi’ June. Dick turned to an’ hammered seven hells out o’ his mug an’ hove him out on deck—’ - 1930, Captain Dingle, “In Conclusion” (chapter 34), in Seaworthy, Cambridge,...

Origin

Altered spelling of had.

Verb form of, informal

  1. simple past and past participle of heed
    • They finally hed my warnings!

Origin

See heed.