Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US, also searchlight) usu. in pl., the eyes.

1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 134: The oculist [...] picked out a handsome blue eye, to match the lieutenant’s larboard head light.
1829		Mons. Merlin 23 May 4/2: Come, take another pull at the keg, to clear your head-lights.
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 3 Sept. n.p.: His ‘head lights’ being completely darkened .
1901		W. Irwin Love Sonnets of a Hoodlum XV n.p.: When I saw Mamie on the line today She turned her happy searchlights on me so.
1903		‘Hugh McHugh’ I Need The Money 104: Clara J. looked me straight in the eyes [...] but my headlights never flickered.
1920		A. Baer Putting ’Em Over 2 Oct. [synd. col.] The original One-Eyed Connolly used to take out his glass headlight when he horned into a barroom scuffle.
1960		E. North Nobody Stops Me 184: It gave me a kick to see the way he rolled over to me, with his headlights turned full on, and grabbed my hand.
1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 20: head lights – Your eyes.
1988		(con. 1940s) C. Bram Hold Tight (1990) 73: Shut up, nigger, or I’m punching your headlights out!
2022		J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 17: [T]rying to keep everything clear of her headlights.

2. (also search-glim) a large and ostentatious tie pin, usu. a diamond one.

1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 251: ’Ow ’ud yer old woman go with that ’eadlight for a brooch, Judah?
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 150: A four-carat headlight in his shirt-front.
1903		Inter Ocean (Chicago) 25 Jan. 34/4: I was just $1,200 on the blut — $700 in the yellow papers, a $300 third-finger twink, and a $200 search-glim.
1938		(con. mid-19C) H. Asbury Sucker’s Progress 234: Amidst its [shirt] billowing folds gleamed a diamond, as large as he could afford and popularly known as ‘the headlight’.
1941		V. Davis Phenomena in Crime 85: The loudest of ‘bookmaker suits’, and the largest of ‘headlights’ (tiepins).
1951		Green & Laurie Show Biz from Vaude to Video 11: Al Woods [...] was particularly partial to a lurid ‘headlight’.

3. (orig. US) a precious stone, usu. a diamond.

1900		A.H. Lewis ‘Dinky Pete’ in Sandburrs 285: Of course, d’ spark ain’t d’ real t’ing, only a rhinestone; but it go in d’ Bend all d’ same for a 2-carat headlight.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 271: He paused with three emerald headlights in one hand and two rare black pearls in another.
1911		Wash. Post 10 Dec. 4/5: A diamond is now ‘ice’ or a ‘spark fawney’. It is no longer referred to as a ‘shiner’ or a ‘headlight’ or a ‘rock.’.
1940		W.R. Burnett High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 402: A copper could see some of those headlights fifty feet away.
1944		in ‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.

4. (also searchlight) in pl., the female breasts, esp. when prominent and well shaped.

c.1919		in Winterich Mlle. from Armentières n.p.: She waggled her headlights and caboose.
1944		A. Kapelner Lonely Boy Blues (1965) 112: That’s her, Harry! The one with the big headlights!
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 234/1: headlights – [...] sometimes a woman’s bosom.
1963		K. Waterhouse Jubb (1966) 159+: Her dress is hoisted up and her headlights — well, let’s just say I can see plenty.
1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1970		B. Oakley Salute to the Great McCarthy 182: With a pair of the biggest female headlights you ever saw.
1977		(con. 1941) R. Beilby Gunner 283: How d’you go on that one, Roj – the big piece with the searchlights?
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 141: There are a number of vernacular terms that refer to a woman’s breasts as big, tasty, touchable, and formidable – [...] guns, headlights.
1997		Da Bomb Summer Supplement 8: Head lights (n.) Breasts.
2006		G. Iles Turning Angel 173: Then he touched my right breast [...] I was wearing a bra, thank God, because my headlights definitely came on.
2007		N. McCall Them (2008) 62: Barlowe dropped his eyes, first to the full breasts poking against the angora wool [...] She had strong headlights.
2020		C. Hiaasen Squeeze Me 267: ‘Not so much sky in the cleavage department [...] dim those headlights’.

5. (Aus./US) spectacles, glasses, esp. tinted or dark glasses.

1940		M. Marples Public School Slang 97: headlights: see gig-lamps.
1941		Baker Pos. Dict. Ais. Sl.
1942		Sydney Morn. Herald 25 July 6/3: It will take something to show that [...] ‘shingle short’, ‘headlights’ (spectacles) [...] and others are indigenous.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 234/1: headlights – glasses.

6. (US short order) in pl., eggs.

1926		Maines & Grant Wise-crack Dict. 5/1: Blanket the headlights – Turn the eggs over.
1936		Mencken Amer. Lang. (4th edn) 582: Catsup is red-lead, eggs are headlights.
1945		F.H. Hubbard Railroad Avenue 325: ‘I would like to have the eggs turned over.’ ‘Blanket the headlights!’ yelled the waiter.

7. (US, also headlight to a snowstorm) a black person, used equally of dark and light extremes of skin tone.

1920–23		in J.M. Hunter Trail Drivers of Texas (1963) I 334: A very black negro is characterized as a ‘headlight to a snowstorm’.
1934		J.L. Kuethe ‘Prison Parlance’ in AS IX: 1 26: head light. A light-skinned Negro.
1936		R.F. Adams Cowboy Lingo 198: A very black negro was said to be a ‘headlight to a snowstorm’.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 92/2: Headlight, n. (South) A light-skinned Negress.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 83: Another 45 refer to personal appearance, including skin color, for example [...] headlight ‘a light-skinned black person’.