1.
to rack one's brains; to think hard; to squeeze out every idea
To exert maximum mental effort to come up with a solution or idea. The image is of wringing out wisdom like wringing out a cloth. Used when a difficult problem requires creative thinking.
みんなで知恵を絞った。
Everyone racked their brains together.
予算が少ない中、知恵を絞って工夫した。
With a limited budget, we racked our brains and found creative solutions.
どうすれば売り上げを伸ばせるか、チーム全員で知恵を絞っているところだ。
The whole team is racking their brains about how to increase sales.
USAGE:
A common idiomatic expression conveying the image of squeezing out every last drop of wisdom. Often used in group problem-solving contexts.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- みんなで知恵を絞る (to rack brains together as a group)
- 知恵を絞って〜する (to think hard and then do something)
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 頭をひねる: to puzzle over something — similar but emphasizes the difficulty of thinking rather than the effort of extracting ideas