cudgel (one's) brains

To try very hard to comprehend, solve, think of, or remember something. I was up all night cudgeling my brains for a way to pay off all my debts. She cudgeled her brains to remember the man's name.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Simon	SIE-mən (English), see-MAWN (French), ZEE-mawn (German), SEE-mawn (Dutch)	English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian
ØRjan	UUR-yahn	Norwegian
Isma'il	-	Arabic
Askey	['æski]
Apolena	-	Czech, Slovak
Monica	MAHN-i-kə (English)	English, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Late Roman