when they are really young and have that almost white blond hair...
Why do people call little blond kids "toe heads"?
"tow-head," understanding the phrase depends on knowing that "tow" is another word for raw flax or hemp fibers. "Tow" in this sense is apparently unrelated to the "pull" sense of "tow," and comes from a prehistoric German word meaning "to spin or weave." Flax fibers in their natural state are a very light golden color, so "tow-head" is a logical description of someone with very light or blonde hair. The phrase "flaxen-haired" applied to such people is somewhat more common than "tow-head," although both phrases are gradually disappearing.
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