pull one's head in
Appearance
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Perhaps from the habit of soldiers poking their heads out of army troop trains to make smart remarks, or in reference to a turtle drawing its head inside its shell for protection. Australian from circa 1930.
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
[edit]pull one's head in (third-person singular simple present pulls one's head in, present participle pulling one's head in, simple past and past participle pulled one's head in)
- (figurative, Australia, New Zealand) To withdraw; to discontinue what one is doing or saying; to back off.
- I really should have pulled my head in once they produced that evidence.
- 2011, Barry Hall, Michael Cowley, Pulling No Punches, unnumbered page:
- ‘But you have got to pull your head in a little bit,’ he said. ‘We love your aggression and your toughness, but all the other stuff is hurting you – we need to pull you into line.’
- 2012, Brendan Fevola, Adam McNicol, Fev: In My Own Words, unnumbered page:
- Denis also told me to me pull my head in on The Footy Show, but that was never going to happen. I loved being the class clown on that show too much.