brains out

brains out

An intensifier that follows an action verb to indicate that the action is or will be done to the utmost degree. Commonly heard in the phrases "beat (one's) brains out" and "blow (one's) brains out." I'm not going into that haunted house—the kids in there already are screaming their brains out! I'm worried that the captain of the football team will beat my brains out if he finds out that I'm secretly seeing his girlfriend.
See also: brain, out
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • while you are at it
  • take action
  • damned if I do, damned if I don't
  • damned if you do, damned if you don't
  • I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't
  • when in doubt, do nothing
  • action stations
  • an act of war
  • chill (one's) action
  • chill someone’s action
References in periodicals archive
As a cheerful human dynamo of glitz, she appeals to the audience-inner-child, which craves conditional love, and will perform our brains out until we get it.
We try harder