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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

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

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