Can anyone tell me what the expression "heads up" means? My American friend uses it in e-mails to me.

Question

For example, she recently said "just a heads up for my new address"

No apologies necessary Crazymade-we here in the UK have our special brand of phrases too! But thanks!

Answer 1

The expression originates from American baseball (circa 1920s), coming to signify an alert, or advance notification.

Answer 2

Either he is referring to keeping the head up for dignity or to the cricketing term.

In the sport of cricket, a coin is tossed to determine which team bats first. This is known as the toss.

During coin flipping the coin is "flipped into the air", i.e., caused to both rise and rotate about an axis parallel to its flat surfaces. Typically, agreement is reached that one person will explicitly assign the action that will ensue from one positioning of the coin, and another, presumed to have the opposite interest or to be impartial, performs the following steps:

- resting the coin on the sides of several segments of the bent index finger of the dominant hand,
- pressing the tip of the bent thumb of the same hand against the palm-side of the index finger, so that friction there holds the thumb back from extending further,
- tensing the muscles that extend the thumb, thereby storing energy in the form of tension in those muscles,
- further extending the thumb and/or slightly uncurling the index finger, thereby overcoming the finger's frictional grip against the thumb-tip so it slips, and freely and rapidly extends, with it or its nail
> hitting the bottom face of the coin, centered within the half of the coin that is less in contact with the bend index finger, and thus
> simultaneously pushing it more or less upward and setting it rotating around an axis parallel to the circular faces of the coin;
- optionally, suddenly raising and quickly stopping the hand involved, in coordination with the releasing of the thumb, thus imparting extra vertical momentum (but little additional rotary momentum) to the coin. (Depending on the skill of the coin-tosser, and any resulting horizontal motion, the optional upward jerk of the tossing hand may be needed to ensure the coin stays aloft long enough to get the catching hand into position, or for the tosser and observers to move out of its path.);
- saying "Call it", to alert the party so designated to say either "Heads" or "Tails", designating the outcome that will correspond to the previously agreed upon outcome;
- once it falls back to a convenient height, either
> catching the coin in an open palm, or
> bringing one hand down over it, to prevent its bouncing away, as it lands on the other hand or arm, and quickly removing the upper hand from it, or
> avoiding interfering with it as it falls onto a sufficiently smooth and uncluttered point on the ground;
o if the coin falls to the ground, despite an attempt by the person flipping the coin to catch it, the process is usually not repeated, and
- all those involved jointly observing whether it has landed "showing heads" — with the side bearing the portrait or profile uppermost — or "showing tails".

Answer 3

It basically means to let you know so that you can be prepared.

We have a lot of phrases like that - that just don't make sense to someone learning the language because they aren't really using the usual definitions. I want to apologize to you on behalf of the Americans who unknowingly (and sometimes knowingly) confuse other people with our phrases. : )

Answer 4

It means "I am giving you information you need" sort of like when the teacher in 1st grade might make everyone face forward when saying something important.

Answer 5

It means like keep a look out.

Answer 6

For Your Information (FYI) is a similar expression.

Answer 7

heads up means pay attention, or look out

Answer 8

News alert such as was given you.

Answer 9

It means pay attention or be advised.

Answer 10

"heads up" means a peice of new and important imformation.