In colonial times, families grew their own flax to make into fabric for clothing. Transforming the flax into thread was a complicated, involved process with many time-consuming steps. After the flax was harvested, it was soaked in water for several days to soften it so the inner fibers could be removed from the stalk. To separate the long, thin fibers from the shorter, coarser ones, the flax was pulled through a bed of nails or combed in a process called "towing." The shorter fibers that were extricated were of a lesser quality and were called "tow." This led to the term "towheads" to describe people, particularly children, whose hair resembled these strands.
by AbbyB October 30, 2010
by markvz January 11, 2010
A person with a head far too big in proportion to the rest of his body. this can usually be seen in people with the surname blackmore or generally supporters of Nottingham Forest
by Mew39 July 17, 2008