WORD POWER
Forget me not
Prerana Trehan

Learning by heart mathematical tables, world capitals, chemistry formulae and history dates in school underlines the importance of having a good memory. Today we learn idioms related to this word.

Commit something to memory: make yourself remember something.

My father never jots down a phone number, he just commits it to memory.

Take a stroll/trip down memory lane: remember some of the happy times you had in the past.

Whenever I meet my school friends, we invariably end up taking a trip down memory lane.

Jog someone’s memory: make someone remember something.

In spite of her age, my grandmother remembers most people by face but sometimes we do have to jog her memory a bit.

Have a memory like an elephant: be very good at remembering things.

I tend to forget birthdays, but my sister has the memory of an elephant, I can always depend on her to remind me.

In/within living memory: can be remembered by people still alive.

The floods in Assam this year are among the worst within living memory.

Have a memory like a sieve: be very bad at remembering things.

Our physics teacher can never remember our names. She has got a memory like a sieve. Something is on the tip of your tongue: you know something, but can’t quite remember it.

Give me a minute or two and I will be able to recall the lead actor’s name. It is on the tip of my tongue.

Ring a bell: think you have heard something before.

Her name rings a bell but I am not sure where I have heard it before.

Rack your brains: think very hard, usually to remember something or find a solution to a problem.

I have been racking my brains but I can’t remember whether I have left my keys in the office.

Complete the following sentences:

Every time I visit my hometown, it is like a trip….

Death by flogging in public is still within living…in many parts of the world.

The lyrics of the song are on the tip….

I racked…all afternoon but I still couldn’t find the answer to the math problem our teacher gave us.

Our principal expects all newcomers to…the school song to memory.

(Reference: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms)