No, that isn’t a clever euphemism for something; boiled calf’s head is exactly that. A calf’s head was purchased from the butcher. It was the cook’s responsibility to clean off the hair and tidy it up before tossing it into a pan and boiling it until was tender. The tongue was removed, cut into slices, and arranged on a platter with the pickled flesh. The eyeball were cut in half and included as a delicacy.
If it was a special occasion, the brains were minced into a sauce. Generally nowadays, many people prefer their meat faceless as it helps them to forget or at least not think about that fact that what they’re eating was once a living, breathing creature. Could you imagine cleaning, cooking, and eating something that was staring at you the entire time?