itch in someone's brain

8.8

A thought that keeps coming into your mind and is hard to forget

idiom

Informal

: idea persistente

She couldn’t shake the itch in her brain about whether she locked the door.

Examples

Ever since I heard that melody, it has been like an itch in my brain that won’t go away.
That mysterious riddle became an itch in his brain, distracting him all day.
I have this itch in my brain about the project.
The itch in her brain won't let her sleep.
The unresolved question about the experiment felt like an itch in his brain that he couldn't ignore.
After watching the documentary, I had an itch in my brain to learn more about wildlife conservation.
She felt an itch in her brain about the upcoming exam, worrying if she had studied enough.

Synonyms

earworm

vsitch in someone's brain

1 7.2

A thought, image, or phrase that keeps repeating in your mind

is the idiomatic expression for the same repeating thought

Antonyms

indifference

71 4.6

Lack of interest or concern about something

forgetfulness

11 3.5

A habit of not remembering things like names or keys

How Persistent

obsession

262 5.1

itch in someone's brain

Informal

8.8

thought

∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

itch in someone's brain singular

itches in someone's brain plural

Morphology

itch + in + someone's + brain

The phrase uses a metaphorical extension of the noun 'itch' (a strong, restless urge) located 'in someone's brain', so a learner who knows the words can infer a sense of a persisting, bothersome thought occupying the mind. However, the collocation is somewhat novel and the exact nuance (difficulty to ignore/forget) is not strictly literal or guaranteed, so it is only partially predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Itch in someone's brain uses the words itch and brain to paint a picture of a small, annoying feeling inside your head that you cannot scratch. So it means a thought that keeps 'bothering' you and 'won't go away' until you find an answer.