My Two Cents ... VII

Today's phrase is:

"to be head over heels in love"

What does it mean?

When someone says he's head over heels in love with a woman, he loves her truly and deeply. In most cases, it is used in the context that someone falls deeply in love with someone quite suddenly.

What are its origins?

The expression "head over heels" was first mentioned in writing in the late 18th century. It originated in Great Britain and meant something along the lines of "upside down", thus referring to something which was not in its usual state.

About 160 years later, the expression was first used as "head over heels in love" by an American writer.

My two cents:

You might wonder why I picked this expression. Let me ask you a question: How long does it take to fall into love with a person? A second? An hour? An evening? Maybe a week? Or rather a month? Longer?

It's different for every person, even for every new relationship. It might happen that you already have strong bonds, like a close friendship, with a person and then, boom, one moment changes everything. Or you meet someone for the first time in your life and know that this person is someone special, someone with whom you could become happy. "Head over heels" was used for a situation which isn't normal any longer. It is the right expression for both situations I described. You find yourself not knowing what happened to your world and wonder what has turned it upside down. Love can grow gradually, or it can happen suddenly, head over heels.