underheads

Noun

underhead (plural underheads)

1. (obsolete) A blockhead, or stupid person; a dunderhead.
   • wiser discretions, that have the thread of reason to conduct them, offend without a pardon; whereas underheads may stumble without dishonour.1642, [Thomas Browne], “(please specify the page)”, in Religio Medici, London: […] Andrew Crooke, →OCLC
2. The area directly below the head of something. (any sense)
   • Data in the column headed "Underhead" are demerit ratings related to the degree of darkening of the underhead. A rating of 0 indicates a completely black underhead, while a rating of 10 indicates a completely clean underhead.1973, Maurice William Ranney, Lubricant Additives - Issue 2, page 50
3. The base of a railroad track.
   • So far as absolute strength for carying the load is concerned, this reduction of area need cause no alarm, but the effect of the indentation of the underhead or base of the rail is a different and I fear a serious matter, because it is well known, that it indent a piece of steel and subject it to a...1877 March 2, James Liveset, “Letters”, in Engineering, volume 23, page 164
4. (dated) direct costs.
   • I think prices would go up, for I know something of the importance of overhead and underhead cost as affecting the price of the goods you have to sell.1911, National Brick Manufacturers' Association of the United States of America, Official Report, Annual Convention, page 113

See all 8 meanings of underhead