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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 miseryrack upput wool over one's eyesput one's pants on one leg at a timeput one's shoulder to the wheelrack upreckon without one's hostreckon without one's hostput one's trousers on one leg at a timereturn to one's muttonsput out of one's miseryqueer one's pitch

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    "rack one's brain." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/rack-ones-brain_6359>.

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