Does "he went head over heels" in the following sentence mean that "he fell over"?
"Pap was agoing on so he never noticed where his old limber legs was taking him to, so he went head over heels over the tub of salt pork and barked both shins, and the rest of his speech was all the hottest kind of language"

Thanks in advance!

Question

Does "he went head over heels" in the following sentence mean that "he fell over"?
"Pap was agoing on so he never noticed where his old limber legs was taking him to, so he went head over heels over the tub of salt pork and barked both shins, and the rest of his speech was all the hottest kind of language"

Thanks in advance!

Answer

It's interesting that today this phrase is used in a figurative, and not literal, sense.  Typically it's used to describe someone falling completely in love with someone else, and it has nothing to do with a physical action.

Answer

Yes, it does mean he fell over. Head over heels means to fall clumsily or violently. Sometimes, head first and then your feet after. I have always thought this is where the phrase came from.

We use this phrase figuratively too, usually to speak about falling in love suddenly.

Answer

Yes, it does mean that. The intention is to emphasize how he fell hardly, with no control over himself.

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Answer

Yes, but in a fairly dramatic way -- you don't fall head over heels if you fall down gracefully, it's a more significant event.