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 (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28