work on the brain
- idiom
- Informal
:
estar pensando en el trabajo
- He confessed that he constantly has work on the brain, even when he's supposed to be unwinding.
Examples
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If you have work on the brain, it's hard to relax on the weekend.
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Even at family dinners, she seems to have work on the brain.
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I can't stop working on the brain even during my vacation.
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She is always working on the brain about deadlines.
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Even when he's at the beach, he still has work on the brain and can't stop thinking about his projects.
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During her time off, she realized she has work on the brain because she keeps checking her emails.
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It's challenging to enjoy a movie when you have work on the brain and can't stop worrying about tasks.
Antonyms
How Preoccupied
26
6.0
- Informal
32
4.5
275
3.4
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase rests on the semi-idiomatic pattern 'on the brain' (like 'on the mind') where 'on' + 'brain' metaphorically signals preoccupation; combining it with 'work' yields 'preoccupied with work', which is partially deducible from the parts. However the meaning is metaphorical rather than strictly compositional and could be mistaken for a literal action (e.g., work applied to the brain), so it is not fully transparent to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Work on the brain gives the picture of work sitting on your brain like a heavy thing you cannot move, so it presses on your thoughts. That's why it means 'always thinking about work'.