What is a brain?

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.