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rack one's brain

To struggle to think of or remember something.

Etymology:

  • Combination of rack, and brain, thus meaning “to cause the mind extreme discomfort”.
  • Variants include rack one's wit and rack one's memory, as well as cudgel one's brain / cudgel one's brains.
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“

I have been racking my brain all day trying to think of a birthday present for her.

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Submitted on September 01, 2009

Translation

Find a translation for the rack one's brain phrase in other languages:

exprimirse los sesos

अपने दिमाग को लगा देना

je hersens kraken

beynini rafa kaldırmak

اپنی دماغ میں مشغول ہونا

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to rack one's brain

rest on one's laurelsrack upput out of one's miseryput wool over one's eyesput this one to bedreap what one sowsput something behind onerack and ruinput one's trousers on one leg at a timereturn to one's muttonsrack upreckon without one's hostreckon without one's hostrattle one's cage

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    "rack one's brain." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/rack-ones-brain_6359>.

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