In colonial times, families grew their own flax to make into fabric for clothing. Transforming the flax into thread was a complicated, involved process with many time-consuming steps. After the flax was harvested, it was soaked in water for several days to soften it so the inner fibers could be removed from the stalk. To separate the long, thin fibers from the shorter, coarser ones, the flax was pulled through a bed of nails or combed in a process called towing. The shorter fibers that were extricated were of a lesser quality and were called tow. This led to the term towheads to describe people, particularly children, whose hair resembled these strands.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/topic/46766/toeheadRSS for NodeTue, 16 Jun 2026 18:30:19 GMTThu, 20 Apr 2017 11:20:58 GMT60A person with a head far too big in proportion to the rest of his body. this can usually be seen in people with the surname blackmore or generally supporters of Nottingham Forest

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/102502https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/102502Sun, 23 Apr 2017 09:48:46 GMTA small child with a thick neck and an ordinary looking face.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/102501https://definedictionarymeaning.com/post/102501Sun, 23 Apr 2017 09:48:46 GMT