Memory idioms | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most Fun Classroom Games!

ring a bell

If something rings a bell, it sounds familiar, but you don't remember the exact details. "John Bentley? The name rings a bell but I don't remember him."

refresh someone's memory

remind them about the things they have forgotten: "Let me refresh your memory - you've already missed three classes this term."

if my memory serves me well

if I remember correctly, have not forgotten any details

have (something) on the brain

If you have something on the brain, you think or talk abut it all constantly. "Stop talking about golf. You've got golf on the brain!"

on the tip of my tongue

a word or name that you can almost remember but not quite - it's just out of reach

a blast from the past

a person or thing that reminds you of an earlier time in the past

a senior moment

to have a lapse in memory, usually unexpectedly

to rack your brain

to try very hard to remember something

to jog someone's memory

to help someone remember something: "You don't remember who was with us that day? Here's a photograph to jog your memory."

a trip down memory lane

when people think about and remember things from the past

off the top of your head

not a carefully considered opinion often because of a lack of time to check the accuracy of the information

go in one ear and come out the other

"I keep telling him about the risks but it goes in one ear and out the other. He never listens!"

a memory like a sieve

a really bad memory

miles away

unaware of what is happening or what someone is saying

lose your train of thought

to forget what you were saying because of an interruption: "Now what was I telling you? I'm afraid I've lost my train of thought."

slip my mind

to forget something

food for thought

something that makes you think about something deeply

to bear something in mind

to remember something important: You must bear in mind that the cost of living is higher in New York."