Is there any word, alternative to the idiom, "rack one's brain"
What word can I use in place of the idiom "rack one's brain," which means to strain in mental effort, esp to remember something (from Collins)?
For instance, a teacher put a chalk box in the principal's office yesterday, but today he is trying his level best to remember where he put that box.
Can I use the verb remind along with a reflexive pronoun, as in: "he reminded himself... ."
- A teacher [verb] for where he put that box.
The post (here), which was proposed as duplicate to this question, is irrelevent here. I am just asking about a verb which denotes thinking very hard to remember anything, not the verb that denotes solving problems, like in Maths.
Have a look at this image.
There're several good choices.
Agonize, as Spencer mentioned, could be useful.
Ahmed agonized over where he placed the chalk box.
Mull is another one.
Ahmed was mulling over where he placed the chalk box.
Ruminate is a third.
Ahmed was lost in his ruminations over where he placed the chalk box.
You could also do something like struggle.
Ahmed struggled to remember the location of the chalk box.
agony TFD
- To suffer mental anguish or worry about something
Your proposed sentence using 'remind' would not be correct:
A teacher was trying very hard to remind himself of that box.
Consider"
The teacher was in agony trying to remember where he had put X.
I you desire to use remember/remind, consider:
A teacher was trying very hard to remember where he put X.
Try recollect:
remember (something); call to mind. (Oxford)
- The teacher recollected where he put that box.
What about ponder?
To reflect or consider with thoroughness and care.
You could say, "All day long, the teacher pondered over the location of the misplaced chalk."
Fret or mull [over] connote more anxiety than ponder or deliberate. Cogitate is in between. You could also say you’re working or stuck on a math problem (or wherever else it’s plain from context that your effort is mental).