The Rice University Neologisms Database

To feel extreme shame and/or frustration. Headdesking refers to the action of hitting one’s head on the top of a desk when one is exasperated or ashamed. According to a Google search of “headdesk”, it is almost always contained in asterisks as in the example above, appearing mostly on internet diaries and instant messages. Its success lies in its succinctness; diluting a complex feeling of discontent into one word. The author of the diary whom I quoted very recently “headwall[ed]” (2005-11-15) when an acquaintance of more than a month continued to call her by the wrong name. She was presumably outside or standing, so the nearest object with which to hit her head was a wall. “Headdesk” can easily be modified to suit different surroundings or even different body parts due to the simple compounding method of word formation. An explanation for the use of asterisks: when conversing or writing online, real time actions (or metaphorical actions in this case) of the writer are often described in third person singular and bracketed by a pair of asterisks or other punctuation marks. For example, “*blinks*” translates to “I am blinking.”