"Smack [someone] upside the head"

Whence comes this unusual grammar?

It seems to tolerate more-or-less any other term for 'head' (eg I
recently saw it w/ 'noodle')... but not very much (any?) leeway in the
verb, anatomy, or direction.

But generally, [verb] [locative] [def. article] requires a locative
phrase (e.g. "on top of"); why is it dropped here?

- Sai

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