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.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - brain
brain idioms - all brawn and no brain
brain idioms and expressions - birdbrain
mind idioms in English - blow one's mind
brain idioms list - brainstorm meaning
mind idioms list - cross one's mind
common mind idioms - in two minds
common brain idioms - no brainer
mind idioms lisgt - one-track mind meaning
brain idioms in English - pick one's brain meaning
mind idioms list - put one's mind to it
brain idioms list - rack one’s brain meaning
common brain idioms - scatter brain meaning

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.