Question #34577 in my series on Yinglish.
By my anecdotal evidence, non-Jews get their haircut, or have their haircut, or go for a haircut, and Ive noticed that most (NYC) Jews I’ve met–when my awareness of ethnic background and arousal of linguistic inquiry coincided–take a haircut, as I do, which I’ve been told sounds a little off.
My frisseur extraordinaire is not fluent in idiomatic English, so he can’t be relied on for further data.
I get a haircut (no space) or go get my hair cut (space).
Yes, my first reaction, too.
I live in NYC and of my Jewish male acquaintances, I’ve never heard “take a haircut.” Or from anyone for that matter. It does sound off.
I’m a Jew whose family is all from the NY/NJ area, and I’ve never heard the term “take a haircut”.
This sounds more like an NYC thing than a Jewish thing. You might find the same phrase used among various immigrant or closed culture groups. It reminds me of my grandmothers phraseology such as “Close the light”.
British non-Jew here. I would “go and get my hair cut” or “have a haircut” or “go for a haircut” or “get my hair cut”.
Well, I would if I had any hair.
I get *all *of my hairs cut.
I never “take” or “have” a haircut.
I “get” a haircut.
Cajuns get their hairs cut.
Americans “take a piss,” while Britons “have a pee.” But American mothers don’t take a baby unless they’re deranged.
Americans make decisions, Britons take them. And tea, and everything else they eat or drink, while Americans “take” only medicine.
The a Welsh in particular “take.” Because they’re theives.
We do take our medicine. But we also take a seat, take our place, take our time, take a look, and take care. But we’re Americans, so we don’t take any shit.
No it doesn’t. I live in NYC and have never heard anyone say this.
I was raised Jewish, and lived in or around NYC for 25 years. I never heard of anyone taking a haircut. You can take a bath, take a hike, or take a shit. Not a haircut.
“taking a haircut.” has a meaning entirely divorced from the trimming of hair. The term would not be restricted to the members of any faith or no faith.
Never heard it either.
Another NY Jew here who’s never heard the phrase.
I have heard “haircut” used in the sense that bob++ describes above, but not often enough to remember whether it was used with take or something else.
I used “close the light” with my son a couple years ago! He thought that it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard and wasted NO time in telling me that.
I’ve never heard “take a haircut” IRL, across America, the places I’ve lived or traveled to or in movies, books or television.
It sounds totally weird to my ears.
An no, I am not Jewish.
We jokingly use “shut off” or “turn on” the window, when we want some light (or less) in the room.
Interestingly, this presumably modern book on American regionalisms (Copyright 2000) seems to imply that “taking a haircut” is the usual form of the phrase 
:
I’ve always known it as “getting a haircut,” and I’m not a New Yorker. I can’t remember anyone anywhere ever saying they’re “taking a haircut.”
In the rare instance (once every year or two) that my hair is cut, I get a haircut.
And while we’re on the subject of things that are said in a strange way, it took me a long time to get used to hearing the ex say that she was “going to leave the dog out”, when in reality she was going to let the dog out. For a while. (As an ex, I don’t listen to her say that anymore.)