mental gymnast
- noun
- Informal
:
gimnasta mental
- She is a true mental gymnast!
Examples
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His reputation as a mental gymnast made him a favorite contestant on quiz shows.
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The debate team needed a mental gymnast to think on their feet during competitions.
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As a mental gymnast, she thrives on challenging puzzles and riddles.
-
Being a mental gymnast requires practice.
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The puzzle champion is a true mental gymnast, solving difficult problems in record time.
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As a mental gymnast, she effortlessly performs complex calculations in her head.
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His ability to navigate tricky logic puzzles makes him a remarkable mental gymnast.
Antonyms
How Clever
252
4.9
- Informal
573
1.7
142
3.8
- Offensive
3
6.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
mental + gymnast
The phrase combines 'mental' (relating to thought) with 'gymnast' (a person characterized by physical agility), so the intended metaphor of cognitive agility is derivable from the constituents; a B1 learner who knows both words can likely infer that it describes someone mentally nimble. However, the meaning relies on a cross-domain metaphor (physical agility → mental skill) and therefore carries nuance and idiomatic flavor that are not fully predictable without some exposure.
Etymology
Mental gymnast gives the image of a real gymnast doing quick flips, but with the mental 'muscles' of the mind doing clever tricks; so it describes someone who can think quickly and solve hard mental problems.