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
Terzo	TER-tso	Italian
RÉGis	-	French
Wawrzyniec	vahf-ZHIN-yets	Polish
Kelley	['keli]
Mojisola	-	Western African, Yoruba
Patrik	-	Swedish, Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Hungarian