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noun part of the body ADJ. human | left, right The left brain controls the right-hand side of the body. BRAIN + NOUN cell, tissue | region | function, process | activity | damage, disease, disorder, failure, haemorrhage, illness, injury, tumour | scan | surgeon, surgery PREP. in the/your ~ Doctors tried to reduce the swelling in his brain. | on the/your ~ He was found to have a blood clot on his brain. (figurative) He's got football on the brain (= thinks about nothing but football). PHRASES blow your brains out While cleaning his shotgun he had accidentally blown his own brains out. ability to think/intelligence ADJ. fertile, fine, good, great, quick | muddled, tired My tired brain couldn't cope with such a complex problem. | analytical VERB + BRAIN rack We racked our brains but we couldn't come up with a solution. | pick sb's (= ask sb for information because they know more about a subject than you) I need to pick your brains: what can you tell me about credit unions? | take It doesn't take much brain to work out that both stories can't be true. BRAIN + VERB function, tick over, work It's important to keep your brain ticking over. | reel His brain reeled as he realized the implication of his dismissal. | register sth The stopping distance includes the time taken for the brain to register the need to stop. BRAIN + NOUN power (also brainpower) PREP. ~ behind the brains behind the robberies PHRASES brains and brawn/brains and not brawn, etc. They relied on brains rather than brawn (= intelligence, not strength). | have a brain for sth She has a good brain for mathematics.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
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general::
Phrase(s): brain someone
Fig. to strike a person hard on the skull as if to knock out the person’s brains. (Often said as a vain threat.) • I thought he was going to brain me, but he only hit me on the shoulder. • If you don’t do it, I’ll brain you.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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brain
verbs
have brains
• You should have more brains than to smoke.
use your brain
• It’s easy if you just use your brain.
rack your brains
(= try very hard to think of something )
• If we all rack our brains we should come up with some ideas.
pick sb’s brains
(= ask someone for ideas )
• I thought I’d pick Greg's brains about what to take with us.
it takes/requires brains to do something
• It takes brains to think of a plan like that.
something addles your brain
(= makes you unable to think clearly )
• The alcohol had addled his brain.
adjectives
a good/quick brain
• It was obvious that Ann had a good brain.
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