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
Arrigo	ahr-REE-go	Italian
Ulloriaq	-	Native American, Greenlandic
Nedyalka	-	Bulgarian
Kolman	KAWL-mahn	German (Rare)
Kiera	KEER-a, KEE-ar-a	Irish
Amity	AM-i-tee	English (Rare)