Lesson 10
Memory and mind
- off the top of your head
If you say that you are commenting on something off the top of your head, you mean that what you are about to say is an immediate reaction and is not a carefully considered opinion, and so it might not be correct. [SPOKEN]
Example: I can’t remember off the top of my head which plan they used, but it certainly wasn’t this one.
- off your head
If you say that someone is off their head or out of their head, you mean that they are very strange, foolish, or dangerous. [BRITISH, INFORMAL]
Example: It’s like working in a war zone. You must be off your head to live in that area.
- on the tip of your tongue
[I] If a remark or question is on the tip of your tongue, you want to say it, but stop yourself.
Example: It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him he’d have to ask Charlie. But I said nothing.
If something such as a word, answer, or name is on the tip of your tongue, you know it and can almost remember it, but not quite.
Example: I know this, no, no, don’t tell me … oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue!
- out of your mind
[I] If you say that someone is out of their mind, you mean that they are crazy or stupid. [INFORMAL]
Example: You spent five hundred pounds on jacket! Are you out of your mind?
If you are out of your mind with worry, grief, fear, etc., you are extremely worried, sad, afraid, etc.
Example: She’s out of her mind with worry; her husband left the hotel yesterday and hasn’t been seen since.
I NOTE I You can also say that someone is going out of their mind.
Example: I was so sure that was what she said. Sometimes I wonder if I’m going out of my mind. We have a lot of problems in our family. I’m going out of my mind with the worry of it all.
- rack your brain
If you rack your brain, you think very hard about something or try very hard to remember it.
Example: They asked me for fresh ideas, so I racked my brain, but couldn’t come up with anything.
I OTE I You can also say rack your brains.
Example: Alma racked her brains for something to say.
INOTE I The old-fashioned spelling wrack is occasionally used instead of rack in this expression. Bob was wracking his brain, trying to think where he had seen the man before.
- ring a bell
If something rings a bell, it is slightly familiar to you and you know you have heard it before, but you do not remember it fully.
Example: The name rings a bell but I can’t think where I’ve heard it.
- bear something in mind or keep something in mind
If you tell someone to bear something in mind or keep something in mind, you are reminding or warning them about something important which they should remember.
Example: There are a few general rules to bear in mind when selecting plants.
Example: Keep in mind that some places are more dangerous than others for women travelling alone.
- cross your mind
If something crosses your mind, you suddenly think of it.
Example: It crossed my mind that she might be lying about her age.
- food for thought
If something gives you food for thought, it makes you think very hard about an issue.
Example: This Italian trip gave us all much food for thought.
- a gut reaction
A gut reaction is a reaction that you have immediately and strongly, without thinking about something or being aware of your reasons.
I NOTE I The gut is the tube inside the body through which food passes while it is being digested.
Example: My immediate gut reaction was to never write again.
- lose the plot
If someone loses the plot, they become confused or crazy, or no longer know how to deal with a situation. [INFORMAL]
I NOT E I A plot is the sequence of events in a story.
Example: Vikram’s working so many hours that he’s losing the plot – he’s making mistakes and keeps falling asleep on thejob.
- miles away
If someone is miles away, they are completely unaware of what is happening or of what someone is saying, because they are thinking deeply about something else.
Example: You didn’t hear a word I said, did you? You were miles away.
- a mind like a sieve
If you have a mind like a sieve or a brain like a sieve, you have a bad memory and often forget things.
Example: He’s lost his keys again – he’s got a mind like a sieve.
I NOTE I You can use brain instead of mind and you can say is like a sieve instead of have.
Example: He lost his car keys but admitted that his brain was like a sieve.
Exercise 1
Complete the sentences with the words in the box. Some of the sentences have more than one answer. head I mind I brain I thought I brains
1.Do you have the memory of an elephant or a ………….like a sieve?
2.You are mad. Totally, completely and utterly off your ………….
3.He was behaving as if he was out of his……………
4.The previous chapters will already have given you plenty of food for……………..
5.Off the top of your………………, what do you know about Vitamin C?
6.Rack your………………..and tell me everything you now about him.
Exercise 3
Choose the best answer to complete the sentences.
1.’Do you know anyone called Frascati?’ – ‘Well the name……………………..
a racks my brains b rings a bell c is miles away
- ‘Dr Barth, what is the greatest single thought that ever……………………?’
a rang a bell b racked your brains c crossed your mind
- ‘You don’t know anyone else who might be free?’- ‘Not , ……………….. no.’
a on the tip of my tongue b crossing my mind c off the top of my head
4.I’m just trying to remember his name; it’s………………………..
a racking my brains b on the tip of my tongue c crossing my mind
- ‘Did you ask me a question? I’m sorry, I was………………………
a mile away b out of my mind c ringing a bell
- Someone mentioned this point recently and I’m……………………to think who it was.
a out of my mind b racking my brains c bearing it in mind