Etymology 101 - Defining the Head Hunter

A head hunter can be a savage who cuts off theIn baseball, a beanball is a pitch which is intentionally
heads of his enemy, a baseball pitcher whothrown at a batter’s head. Pitchers who are
deliberately throws the baseball at a batters head orknow to throw beanballs are know as Head hunters.
an executive recruiter who looks to fill open positionsA head hunter who throws a beanball rarely uses it
in a corporation. The following article will give the briefas a strategic throw, most of the time it is thrown in
Etymology, or history, of the term head hunter.anger and frustration. However batters who are
O. Henry’s Head Hunterfacing known head hunters may alter their approach
“…there came vividly to my mind recollectionsto hitting the ball in interest of self protection. In the
of the head hunters--those grim, flinty, relentless littlehistory of major league baseball there has been only
men, never seen, but chilling the warmest noondayone player who has died after being hit by a head
by the subtle terror of their concealedhunter, Indians shortstop Ray Chapman, who was hit
presence...”by a beanball on August 16, 1920 and died twelve
Tribal Head Hunterhours later.
Head hunting has been practiced all throughoutCorporate Head Hunter
history in almost every corner of the world. In factA head hunter is another name for an executive
head hunters had thrived in the Balkan region right uprecruiter who usually operates as a third-party,
until the early 20th century. Headhunter tribes usuallywhereas a recruiter who works in-house is known as
believed in the existence of soul matter, which couldHuman Resources. The first person who described
be captured and added to the general stock of soultheir profession as a 'head hunter' would have
matter belonging to the tribe. The soul matter couldprobably been using the term jokingly, well aware
then be used in rituals to contribute to anything fromthat their audience knew the normal (tribal) meaning
the fertility of the human population, to livestock andof head hunting. However the headhunter name
even crops. Taking the head of an enemy was alsocaught on due largely to the efforts of the people
said to weaken the power of that enemy. Headengaged in head hunting. Head hunters quite literally
hunters would keep the heads as trophies as tokens"pirate" the heads and key people of a corporation,
of courage and manhood. In many societies, youngleaving that corporation without their leadership, and
head hunters are not able to marry until they havecore people - subsequently loping off the heads of
taken their first head.the organization.
Baseball Head Hunter