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good head on one's shoulders, have a

good head on one's shoulders, have a idiom

Be intelligent or shrewd; have good sense or good judgment. For example, We can depend on George to figure it out—he has a good head on his shoulders. This term originated in the 1500s as have an old head on young shoulders, alluding to the wisdom of age and physical youth. It took its present form in the 1800s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.