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
Indrani	-	Hinduism, Bengali, Indian, Hindi
Chrystal	KRIS-təl	English
Orvar	-	Swedish, Norse Mythology
Hans	[hænz]
ÍRis	-	Portuguese, Icelandic
Lamberto	lahm-BER-to	Italian