Is it wrack your brain or rack your brain?

Is it wrack your brain or rack your brain?

The spelling ‘rack’ is now used in all senses except for the seaweed called wrack. So it’s “rack and ruin,” … “racking my brains,” and so on. Some other usage guides provide a way of dealing with this question that has a certain brutal charm: just stop using the word wrack.

Where does the phrase rack my brain come from?

The word was used whenever something or someone was under particular stress, and a huge variety of things were said to be ‘racked’. The first recorded use of this being specifically applied to brains is in William Beveridge’s Sermons, circa 1680: “They rack their brains… they hazard their lives for it.”

Is wrack my brain correct?

Can you explain why wracked is being used this way? The words rack and wrack have been confused with one another for a very long time. Sometimes the expression “to go to wrack and ruin” is written as “to go to rack and ruin.” The word rack has numerous meanings, both as a noun and as a verb.

How do you use your brain rack?

to think very hard: I’ve been racking my brains all day but I can’t remember her name. considerDon’t make any decisions before you’ve considered the matter.

What is the meaning of the idiom eat your words?

to admit that you were wrong about something. Synonyms and related words. To admit you are wrong or have done something wrong. admit. confess.

How do you spell wrack my brain?

wrack (one’s) brain(s) To struggle very hard to recall or think of something. (“Rack” is considered the more correct spelling, though “wrack” has become acceptable through common usage.)

What means feel blue?

To feel blue means to feel sad. Examples: I don’t want to go out.

What is the meaning get one’s feet wet?

: to begin doing a new job, activity, etc., in usually a slow and simple way in order to become more familiar with it She got her feet wet at her new job by doing some simple filing tasks.

What does the wrecking mean?

Princeton’s WordNet. razing, wreckingnoun. the event of a structure being completely demolished and leveled. laying waste, ruin, ruining, ruination, wreckingnoun.

Is it racking my brain?

The expression “to go to wrack and ruin” means to fall into a state of decay or destruction. The written form “wrack one’s brains” is, therefore, incorrect.

What is rack slang for?

Slang: Vulgar. a woman’s breasts. Slang. a bed, cot, or bunk: I spent all afternoon in the rack. SEE MORE.

What does “pick your brain” mean?

The phrase “ pick your brain ” means you want to find out more, in detail and in general, to discover how someone is behaving or thinking, what motivates someone, what triggers the feeling, etc. For example, “ I’d like to pick your brain on your marketing strategy ” means I want know more about your marketing strategy.

What does hit the rack mean?

Meanings of “Hit the rack”. Go to bed. The act of actually getting into bed. The rack was a mideviel form of torture. It was used to stretch a person by means of a crank while lying down. The expression ‘hit the rack’ is military jargon.

What does racking his brain mean?

rack your brains (or brain) make a great effort to think of or remember something. A rack was a medieval instrument of torture consisting of a frame on which a victim was stretched by turning rollers to which their wrists and ankles were tied.

What does rack and ruin mean?

Definition of ‘rack and ruin’. rack and ruin. something that is going to rack and ruin is falling into a very bad condition, because nobody is looking after it or dealing properly with it.

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