Example: Er musste sich den Kopf zerbrechen, um die Lösung zu finden.
Definition
"Sich den Kopf zerbrechen" means to think very hard or struggle mentally to solve a problem or understand something. It describes the effort of concentrating intensely, often to find a solution or make a difficult decision, as in the example: He had to break his head to find the solution.
Translations
rack one's brains
romperse la cabeza
zich het hoofd breken
trencar-se el cap
se creuser la tête
Etymology
The phrase "sich den Kopf zerbrechen" literally translates to 'to break one's head,' which vividly expresses the idea of exerting intense mental effort. It originates from German, where 'zerbrechen' means 'to break,' metaphorically implying the strain of thinking so hard it feels as if the head might break. Did you know this phrase captures the frustration and determination in problem-solving?
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"Sich den Kopf zerbrechen" appears in the Vocaplus list "", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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rack one's brains