"He tossed his head."

KiwiChick · Sep 14, 2006

"He tossed his head."

What do you think? Legitimate construction describing an action we all recognise, or slopping writing demanding a reponse of "how far"?

(Edit: oops. My experiments in polling seem to have gone awry.)

KiwiChick · Sep 14, 2006

"He tossed his head."

I'd like to think I could use this sort of thing without being cringed/laughed at, but it seems to bother some people. What do you think?

TheIT · Sep 14, 2006

Depends on what genre you're writing. In horror, this could be a literal statement.

"He rolled his eyes" or "His eyes followed her around the room" also provoke some rather interesting images.

KiwiChick · Sep 14, 2006

TheIT said:
Depends on what genre you're writing. In horror, this could be a literal statement.

Fantasy, but not that sort of fantasy.

Carrie in PA · Sep 14, 2006

I prefer to use names instead of pronouns. ie., Ed tossed Jim's head.

And I like to add a destination. ie., Ed tossed Jim's head at Lucy. hee hee

But seriously, it can work as long as his other actions fit with it, it probably won't evoke a smarta**ed reaction in the story.

maestrowork · Sep 14, 2006

It's silly at best, and cliched/overused at worst.

Popeyesays · Sep 14, 2006

If it were a literal statement it would mean someone else tossed his head.

Actually, I recognize that it means clearing sweat or hair from one's face without using one's hand. So, "He tossed his head to clear the sweat from his eyes." would be totally acceptable.

Regards,
Scott

smiley10000 · Sep 14, 2006

'tossed his head' seems odd to me. I can see someone tossing hair, but the only image I get from this is rather horror based...

Do you really think 'rolled his eyes' is a problem?

10000

TheIT · Sep 14, 2006

The Uncle Jim thread talks about this phenomenon, too, as I recall. Some readers are very literal so it might be better to avoid confusion.

I'm writing fantasy, too, and I've got the further problems of magic having visual effects. For example, if I say my mage's eyes glittered, glinted, or gleamed, they might actually be emitting light.

TheIT · Sep 14, 2006

My favorite "rolled his eyes" usage came from the book Summon the Keeper where Jacques rolled his eyes and Claire told him to stop before they fell off the coffee table. Jacques is a ghost, so for him he literally rolled his eyes.

Bufty · Sep 14, 2006

Kiwi - You wouldn't have asked the question if you didn't have doubt about it. Apart from hinting at his being effeminate, to me it means little on its own. I'd find another way to say whatever you want to get across.

Neeli · Sep 14, 2006

I think "tossed his head" is ok. It is a sign of being arrogant. I would also use rolling eyes.

I have read that disembodied body parts acting on their own is a pet peeve of editors, so this topic has been on my mind too.

What about this one: He froze in place, his hand clenched on the glass handle.

Nangleator · Sep 14, 2006

It may be a poor derivation of 'She tossed her hair,' which makes a bit of sense.

seun · Sep 14, 2006

I've heard worse (and occasionally written some) but it's still cliched writing.

Scrawler · Sep 14, 2006

He tossed his head as she cast her eyes out to sea. She twirled out of the room and he followed her in an alarmed fashion. Cringe.

Shadow_Ferret · Sep 14, 2006

Why doesn't he just toss a salad instead?

And what happens if he tosses his head and something catches his eye, then he's in REAL trouble.

JanDarby · Sep 14, 2006

I think the phrase is incomplete and therefore doesn't create a complete image, more than posing a literalism problem.

I wouldn't have a problem with "he tossed his head back and laughed." But the plain old "he tossed his head" leaves me wondering where the rest of the sentence is or, as you suggest, where his head landed.

What else do we toss? Salad. That suggests throwing it all over the place, which isn't the image for heads.

A ball. But we don't just toss it, we toss it SOMEWHERE (up in the air or over the hedges) or we toss it TO someone.

We toss our cookies, but that's something of an idiom and evokes a complete (if disgusting) image, and also implies, like with salad, "all over the place," which isn't (without being really disgusting) possible for a head.

We toss keys onto a table or clothes on the floor, etc. But the point is that we toss them SOMEWHERE, not just toss them. Would you say "he tossed his keys" and leave it at that? And can anyone think of examples of what we toss that doesn't have either a destination or some other descriptive that goes with it?

JD

josephwise · Sep 14, 2006

Cliché at this point, but I don't mind the concept. I think, for a time, it was a wonderful description for an action we all know.

What makes me cringe is when I write "even the leaves slept under the heavy thumb of that afternoon" and some red-faced reader starts jabbing at the page insisting "Leaves can't sleep. People sleep, or animals; but leaves can't.'"

Leaves'll go to sleep if I tell 'em to go to sleep. They're MY leaves.

Bufty · Sep 14, 2006

Couldn't resist it - He tossed a coin? He tossed the caber? :Hug2:

blackbird · Sep 14, 2006

It could work IF...the guy has long hair, which would automatically give him some effeminate licencse on a par with a female character tossing her hair (I call it The Wild Stallion effect). It can work IF the guy's character is somewhat vain or arrogant (if other passages have indicated that he has these qualities--in other words, he not only "tosses his head," but pouts and sulks and struts like a peacock, as well.

It could work IF the guy in question looks like Fabio (because that's the image that automatically comes to my mind with the phrase).

If any of these apply, the description could work. It implies a sort of vain and pompous arrogance. But if none of these descripts fit (and he doesn't look like Fabio) I'd say use something else.

Zolah · Sep 14, 2006

There shouldn't be a problem with 'he rolled his eyes' because people do literally roll their eyes, and this is a common and everyday gesture. If you were to right 'he rolled his eyes in his head' a reader would be likely to stop and think: 'eh? Where else would he roll them?' The problem is when people take it too far and say something like 'His eyes darted around the room, first alighting on the brass clock at the mantelpiece, then skipping to the door' which gives the impression that the eyes are little creatures (like hamsters, perhaps) scurrying about quite independent of their owner. I used to write that sort of thing alot, until my editor told me that my heroine's eyes were so active he was picturing them reading a book, nipping to the loo, or leaving to have adventures of their own without her.

Hey - does anyone have an objection to 'the horse tossed its head'? Horses do that all the time you know.

KiwiChick · Sep 14, 2006

blackbird said:
It could work IF...the guy has long hair, which would automatically give him some effeminate licencse on a par with a female character tossing her hair (I call it The Wild Stallion effect). It can work IF the guy's character is somewhat vain or arrogant (if other passages have indicated that he has these qualities--in other words, he not only "tosses his head," but pouts and sulks and struts like a peacock, as well.

It could work IF the guy in question looks like Fabio (because that's the image that automatically comes to my mind with the phrase).

If any of these apply, the description could work. It implies a sort of vain and pompous arrogance. But if none of these descripts fit (and he doesn't look like Fabio) I'd say use something else.

Hmmm. Well, my character does have longish hair but I'd like to use the head-tossing as more of a "trying to escape what he feels is an overly emotionally intense conversation". I can see him doing it, and I can't think of any way to describe it without using the cliche.

KiwiChick · Sep 14, 2006

JanDarby said:
I think the phrase is incomplete and therefore doesn't create a complete image, more than posing a literalism problem.

I wouldn't have a problem with "he tossed his head back and laughed." But the plain old "he tossed his head" leaves me wondering where the rest of the sentence is or, as you suggest, where his head landed.

What else do we toss? Salad. That suggests throwing it all over the place, which isn't the image for heads.

A ball. But we don't just toss it, we toss it SOMEWHERE (up in the air or over the hedges) or we toss it TO someone.

We toss our cookies, but that's something of an idiom and evokes a complete (if disgusting) image, and also implies, like with salad, "all over the place," which isn't (without being really disgusting) possible for a head.

We toss keys onto a table or clothes on the floor, etc. But the point is that we toss them SOMEWHERE, not just toss them. Would you say "he tossed his keys" and leave it at that? And can anyone think of examples of what we toss that doesn't have either a destination or some other descriptive that goes with it?

JD

I see your point, but I thought regarding heads a "toss" was the name of a particular motion. Sort tipping a little to one side, then flicking backwards and a bit to the other side. Of course, that's much to wordy:
"he tilted his head a little to the right, then flicked it backwards and around to the left" Yuck!

I know toss can also mean "throw" or "a particular action not mentioned in polite company", but I thought it described a particular action in the same way "nod" does.

I could be wrong...

TheIT · Sep 14, 2006

I've also heard the phrase as "tossed his chin".

HiltonRC · Sep 14, 2006

My dictionary lists "toss" as a transitive verb meaning "to jerk (one’s head or hair) sharply backwards." The example given is "Paula pursed her lips and tossed her head." Not great writing there, but these folks write dictionaries, after all. That sentence could mean she put her lips into her purse and threw her head in after them. Maybe a better example is "Paula tossed her head and whinnied." I'd say "tossed her head" is no worse than "threw up her hands."

"He tossed his head."

"He tossed his head." Legitimate or cringeworthy?

Legitimate construction giving an action we all recognise

Sloppy writing demanding a response of "how far?"

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