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Difference between King Charles’s head and King’s head

admin Confusing Phrases

King Charles’s head—a subject that keeps on appearing in a person’s conversation:

  • He talks about nothing but money—it’s becoming a King Charles’s head!

Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase King Charles—short for “King Charles’s Spaniel”:

  • A little “King Charles,” with a crimson ribbon round his neck is jumping on the sofa.

King’s head—representation of a king on a postage stamp, etc.:

  • Take care never to step on a coin or banknote or a postage stamp with the king’s head on it.

Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the compound kinghead—a coarse annual plant (Ambrosia trifida):

  • The seeds consist of one central beak surrounded by a circle of five or more marginal points, giving a king’s crown appearance, hence the plant’s common names—kinghead and crown-weed.