Head of household?

Filed under: Phrases
2 Comments

I recently got voicemail spam in which caller asked to “speak to the head of household, if they’re available.”

I was surprised to hear the phrase “head of household”—I think I haven’t encountered that phrase in years, outside of a tax context. (The IRS uses the phrase to refer to an unmarried person who maintains a home for themselves and dependents, which I’m pretty sure was not what my spam caller had in mind.) So now I’m curious: do you live in a household that includes someone you would consider to be the “head of household,” by whatever definition you personally have for that phrase?

And if someone called you and asked to speak to the head of household, would you be at all surprised at the phrase?

2 Responses to “Head of household?”

  1. JacobM

    The cat prefers not to speak on the phone, so I would be at a loss.

    reply

  2. StaceyK

    I typically see/hear that with salespeople for home improvement services/items. I translate it to mean: someone who has decision-making power over home improvements (so they don’t waste their time pitching pest-control or painting services to some kid or houseguest).

    reply

Join the Conversation