IELTS Idioms for Memory and Mind
1) bear something in mind or keep something in mind
Meaning- 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.
2) cross your mind
Meaning- If something crosses your mind, you suddenly think of it.
Example- It crossed my mind that she might be lying about her age.
3) food for thought
Meaning- 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.
4) a gut reaction
Meaning- A gut reaction is a reaction that you have immediately and strongly, without thinking about something or being aware of your reasons.
(NOTE- 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.
5) lose the plot
Meaning- If someone loses the plot, they become confused or crazy, or no longer know how to deal with a situation. [INFORMAL]
(NOTE- 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 the job.
6) miles away
Meaning- 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.
7) a mind like a sieve
Meaning- 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.
(NOTE- 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.
8) off the top of your head
Meaning- 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.
9) off your head
Meaning- 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.
10) on the tip of your tongue
Meaning- [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.
or
Meaning- 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!
11) out of your mind
Meaning- [L 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 a jacket! Are you out of your mind?
or
Meaning- 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.
12) rack your brain
Meaning- 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.
(NOTE- The old-fashioned spelling wrack is occasionally used instead of rack in this expression.) Example- Bob was wracking his brain, trying to think where he had seen the man before.
13) ring a bell
Meaning- 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.
Example- The name rings a bell but I can't think where I've heard it.
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