rosh katan

n. an attitude of avoiding responsibility, of extreme self-interest, or of strict adherence to rules to the point of obstruction or absurdity; a person with such an attitude; in British English, a jobsworth. Subjects: Hebrew, Israel

Editorial Note: The Hebrew is ראש קטן ‘small head.’ The term seems to have arisen in the Israeli military.

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Citations: 1985 David Bernstein Times (London, England) (Aug. 10) “Israel: exodus from a land of lost promise” p. P9: This is all part of the phenomenon Israelis call Rosh Katan, literally “small head,” an increasing concern with one’s own personal life. 1986 Reuven Gal Portrait of the Israeli Soldier (Aug. 18) p. 132: This attitude was known among Israeli troops as “small head” (in Hebrew, “Rosh Katan”), meaning someone who avoids taking responsbility, initiating actions, or diverting from proscribed procedures and instead maintains a “low profile.” 1990 Bradley Burston Jerusalem Post (Nov. 30) “The Making Of The Next CGS” p. 5: Senior commanders have suggested recently that the demoralization and the Rosh Katan (anti-involvement) doctrine of anti-volunteerism have been potentiated by cuts in training time due to pressures of budget and border/territories patrol priorities. 1998 Uri Ben-Eliezer Theory and Society (June) “Is a Military Coup Possible in Israel? Israel and French-Algeria in Comparative Historical-Sociological Perspective” vol. 27, no. 3, p. 328: During the Intifada, Israeli conscripts often displayed a so-called rosh katan (“small head”) syndrome, a pejorative term referring to a “know-nothing” or “low-profile” attitude. 2004 Tamar Nitzan Joel on Software (New York City) (Dec. ): As for the expressions (pronounced “rosh katan”—little head, vs. “rosh gadol”—big head). This expression comes from the IDF, and as most military language, doesn’t quite translate into normal language. A “rosh katan” (literally “little head,” and I actually think it is the original expression which derived most likely from “pinhead,” the contrast later came in as a complement) is someone that does exactly what he’s told. For instance, someone might be told to clean the barrel of their rifle. A “rosh katan” will strictly clean the barrel, perhaps leaving it useless because the trigger mechanism has sand in it, whereas a “rosh gadol” will clean the entire rifle and lubricate it so it’s ready for use and doesn’t rust. 2005 Ben Rothschild Neria The Fool’s Page (Kfar Vradim, Israel) (Jan. 23) “Terms in the Israeli mind”: “Rosh Katan,” translated as a “small mind” it’s similar to be narrow-minded, but has more meanings. when someone is “Rosh Katan,” it means that he won’t do anything unless told to. it means that he won’t care for anything unless it hurts him.

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