The brain is a soft organ that is inside our head and is protected by the skull. The plural is ‘brains’.
The mind is what the brain can do for example: think, feel things, reason, understand etc. (stative verbs) The plural is ‘minds’.
brain idioms list
Let’s look at some popular body idioms that contain the body part ‘brain’ or ‘mind’.
- all brawn and no brain
meaning – physically strong but not intelligent
example – My son is on all the sports teams, but he failed college. He’s all brawn and no brain. - birdbrain
meaning – a silly or stupid person
example – Don’t invite that bird-brained idiot Rodney. I want to make a good impression. - blow one’s mind
meaning – something is amazing, extraordinary
example – Try this cocktail I made; it will blow your mind. - brainstorm
meaning – a group discussion to think of ideas
example – We’re having a meeting tomorrow to brainstorm ideas for the business. - cross one’s mind
meaning – suddenly think of/realise
example – Julie hasn’t even crossed my mind since we broke up. - in two minds
meaning – undecided
example – We’re in two minds about going to Ibiza. It’s expensive but it would be fun. - no-brainer
meaning – something that requires little thought/mental effort
example – My decision to fire that idiot was a no-brainer. - one-track mind
meaning – when someone is obsessed with a particular topic
example – My boys have one-track minds. It’s all football, football, football with them. - pick someone’s brains
meaning – ask someone for information, advice etc.
example – We need to pick your brains about travelling Europe. Are you free later? - put one’s mind to it
meaning – give something your complete attention, concentration, determination, effort etc.
example – I want to be an astronaut. If I put my mind to it, I can do anything. - rack one’s brain
meaning – try very hard to think of something
example – I can’t find my phone. I need to rack my brain to remember when I had it last. - scatter brain
meaning – a forgetful, disorganised, unfocused person
example – My mum is such a scatter brain, she left the oven on and went shopping today.
brain idioms list with pictures
Here’s some real life picture examples.
You can download a table of ‘brain’ idioms and expressions below.
If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more body idioms by clicking on the links below.