Idioms – Memory and mind

Hey, guys!

Everybody knows the importance of learning some idioms and colloquial expressions, especially when you live in a foreign country. We always learn a lot of them by communicating with native speakers or watching movies and series. In this section, you learn some idioms and expressions to communicate in a more natural way when speaking English in a foreign country.

Here are a few Idioms related to the topic Memory and mind.

* Bear something in mind / Keep something in mind – remember something important (ter em mente)

Keep in mind that you need to check everyone’s IDs.

* Cross your mind – when you suddenly think about something (passar pela cabeça)

It crossed my mind that she might be lying about her age.

* Food for thought – when something makes you think very hard about an issue (o que faz pensar, refletir)

This book gave me much food for thought.

* A gut reaction – an immediate and instinctive reaction (reação instintiva, espontânea)

I think I will go with my gut reaction!

* Lose the plot – stop acting rationally (perder as estribeiras)

I thought Amy was going to lose the plot on her wedding.

* Miles away – when you are completely unaware of what is happening because you are thinking deeply about something else (estar na lua, viajando na maionese)

I didn’t hear a word you said, I was miles away.

* A mind like a sieve – when you have a bad memory and often forget things (cabeça de girico)

He’s lost his keys again, he’s got a mind like a sieve.

* Off the top of your head – immediately and without thinking very much (lembrar de cabeça)

I can’t remember off the top of my head which plan they used, but it certainly wasn’t this one.

* On the tip of your tongue – when you want to say something but sometimes don’t remember it easily or simply stop yourself (na ponta da língua)

I know this, no, no, don’t tell me… oh, don’t tell me… oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue!

* Out of your mind – when someone is crazy or stupid (fora de si)

You spent $500 on a jacket? Are you out of your mind?

* Rack your brain – think very hard about something or try very hard to remember it (quebrar a cabeça, queimar as pestanas)

They asked me for fresh ideas, so I racked my brain, but couldn’t come up with anything.

* Ring a bell – when something is slightly familiar to you and you know you have heard it before, but you don’t remember it fully. (lembrar-se de algo através de uma informação, vir à mente)

The name rings a bell but I can’t think where I’ve heard it.

I hope you learned some new idioms today, see you next time!