have one's head read

Verb

have one's head read (third-person singular simple present has one's head read, present participle having one's head read, simple past and past participle had one's head read)

1. (dated) To have the bumps, indentations, and shape of one's skull examined and interpreted by a phrenologist.
   • He told the police that he went to a couple of "phrenologists" to have his head read with the idea of getting rid of the pain in his stomach.1931 January 1, “Pain stays in head after $8,500 "cure"”, in Deseret News, retrieved 29 Apr 2013, page 3
   • In the summer of 1849, Walt Whitman walked into an office on Nassau Street in Manhattan to have his head read. Lorenzo Niles Fowler, a phrenologist, palpated 35 areas on both sides of the skull corresponding to emotional or intellectual capacities in the brain.2005 January 26, William Grimes, “The Brain: False Assumptions and Cruel Operations”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 Apr 2013
2. (idiomatic) To have one's mental health assessed, to receive a psychiatric examination.
   • "A guy who thinks he gets smart in this horse-race game oughta have his head read."1957 January 30, Pete Pederson, “Spinney's Win Baffles Turf Experts”, in Los Angeles Times, retrieved 29 Apr 2013, page C4
   • She is not crazy so don't tell me to take her to a doctor to have her head read.1959 March 22, “Dear Abby: It's Bird-Bee Time”, in Milwaukee Sentinel, retrieved 29 Apr 2013, page 4D

   Synonyms:

   have one's head examined