devanarse los sesos

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to coil the brain”.

Verb

devanarse los sesos (first-person singular present me devano los sesos, first-person singular preterite me devané los sesos, past participle devanado los sesos)

1. (idiomatic) to rack one's brains

   Synonyms: romperse la cabeza, comerse el tarro

Further reading

• “devanarse alguien los sesos”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10