Education and Reference Q&A
Where did the permanent status 'headhunter' come from?
Answers: I'm not having any luck coming up with the date of the first usage. I'll save looking. I would say the reason at the back the usage is fairly obvious contained by that a recruiter is looking (hunting) for a person (head).
Here are the definitions, which I'm sure you already hold:
Head'-hunt`er (hed'hunt`r)
n. 1. A member of any tribe or race of savages who enjoy the custom of decapitating human beings and preserving their heads as trophies. The Dyaks of Borneo are the most noted head-hunters.
2. A person whose profession is to find executives to cram open positions in corporations; an executive personnel recruiter; also, a company that perform a similar service.
