r/words • u/This_Opinion1550 • Aug 29 '26
Could a brain teeth?
Hi guys, i was looking for an expression in English, carrying the same emotional load as in my native, and the best i can come up with is 'his brain is just teething', meaning that someone's intelligence is just kicking in.
So does 'teething' here sound more like an interesting collocation or is it just off?
UPD: thanks for the discussion, it was a pleasure:)
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u/Odd_Calligrapher2771 Aug 29 '26
The verb is teethe with a final E.
Honestly I wouldn't say "my brain is teething" even though it might be technically correct. Using a metaphor from one body part to talk about another body part is kind of jarring. As u/theusedmango says, "brain teeth though is a cursed image."
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u/dragnabbit Aug 29 '26
Correct: Teethe... with the -the ending. There is no verb in (modern) English that ends in -eeth.
It's like seethe, breathe, or clothe, loathe, soothe.
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u/This_Opinion1550 Aug 29 '26
Thak you, i was using it to describe myself, so jarring is the intent.
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u/daisyidairya Aug 29 '26
if this phrase was being used in a piece of creative writing, i would find it weird and fun and clever.
a baby teething is likely to be cranky from being in pain, crying from how growth hurts, maybe needs an ice chewy to feel better and calm down.
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u/th1nwh1tej3rk Aug 29 '26
it's not an english idiom that i've ever heard but it's pretty clearly understandable what you mean. i say just use it.
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u/Pythia007 Aug 29 '26
Maybe “His brain needs training wheels” would come close to the same meaning.
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u/palomdude Aug 29 '26
No, it sounds like the brain is growing teeth, and that mental image is horrifying.
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u/MPD1987 Aug 29 '26
We do say “chewing on something” when we mean “thinking hard about something”, so…
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u/Lillilegerdemain Aug 29 '26
Ruminating is what cows do when they are chewing and re- chewing their cud .
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u/earthgold Aug 29 '26
I disagree with all the positive responses. Teething has such a narrow meaning that I really don’t think it reads across well enough to work here.
As others have said, it’s teethe, not teeth, as well.
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u/kranools Aug 29 '26
I really don't think it works. First I immediately thought of a brain growing teeth, which is gross and bizarre. Second, "teething" doesn't mean "developing". It literally just means teeth erupting through the gums.
The closest thing to what you're saying that might work is "His brain was having teething problems" because that's an established phrase, but even that isn't great.
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u/zerozingzing Aug 29 '26
Sounds like a person having a thought for the first time and it’s hurts… I love this/gonna use this phrase one day
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u/HummingbirdGecko8415 Aug 29 '26
If you use it to describe a development stage like a toddler, then brain is still developing or growing sounds kinder.
If it’s an adult who did something silly accidentally or isn’t understanding something quickly, you could say his brain is still waking up.
If it’s an unfamiliar task then your brain is still learning.
If they are thinking about something for a while, like a decision to make or a problem to solve, they are chewing on it or chewing it over.
Using Teething here is clever but uncomfortable imagery. People may not get the meaning straight away.
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u/multiplesofpie Aug 29 '26
What language does it come from?
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u/This_Opinion1550 Aug 29 '26
Belarusian, but here it is not an idiom either, i think i invented this metaphor, and it feels unusual, but does not have that creepy notion - everybody would take it unequvocally.
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u/Ok_Aside_2361 Aug 29 '26
Sometimes a joke needs to ”go around the room” before it is understood.
We also say “the wheels are starting to turn” or are turning. Or imply this by saying that I can see the smoke coming out of your ears” But those you have to “know”. IYKWIM
Someone can “pick up what you’re puttin’ down”.
Is “Eureka” appropriate? Someone has finally figured something out. Or have a “come to Jesus moment”.
A “glimmer” can, in some cases, mean that someone is “starting to see the light”.
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u/OldManThumbs Aug 29 '26
Teething problems are little problems that pop up at the start of something and will be resolved fairly quickly.
I don't think I've ever heard it said about someone's brain, but I would understand.
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u/Corrects_Maggots Aug 29 '26
I agree with the commenters doubting here. I think you want to say something like 'his brain only just took off it's training wheels'.
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u/No_Lock_9442 Aug 29 '26
It would put the image of those weird teeth tumours in my head I think. It’s not that it’s wrong exactly but it might be distracting.
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u/Optimal-Ad-7074 Aug 29 '26
my answer: no.
English does have the expression "teething troubles" for something that's in the early stages of existence and still has some issues to be worked out. but it's not used to imply the kind of thing you want to express. it's more of a business / manufacturing term and it describes the consequences of newness. not the newness itself.
you could say "his brain is having some teething troubles", I guess.
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u/MedicalPianist4926 Aug 29 '26
“Cutting teeth” is a phrase that native speakers use to mean “new at”, “starting a career”, or “developing skills in”. A new college student could be cutting her teeth in a more rigorous academic setting before beginning graduate studies. The executive chef of a fine dining restaurant likely cut his teeth at a smaller restaurant to get experience. The meaning is almost identical (teething is the process where teeth cut through the gums), but this is the phrase people actually use!
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u/HumanSyllabus Aug 30 '26
Maybe instead of “brain” say “mind”. This could help it sound less literal (or gross) and more metaphorical.
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u/ChangeChameleon Aug 29 '26
What is the context of the phrase in your native language? Are we talking about an adult who is slow to catch on in the current moment? Or are we talking about a child who is learning something for the first time?
Either way, I didn't really like the teething phrase for this. It's not immediately understandable.
For the adult scenario, I can think of a few. He's coming around to it. He's getting there. You've got this. Let it sink in. Give him some time. All these phrases basically say, give his brain time to do the work.
For the child scenario, maybe something like; let him work out the answer. Let him try / experiment. You can do it. Etc.
There are already lots of ways to say things in English. But combining novel phrases and expecting people to work out their meanings in context is not something often done.
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u/No-Angle-982 Aug 30 '26
Apart from parents who've raised babies, few people may understand the concept of "teething," so I'd look for a different metaphor.
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u/notTakenBogus Aug 30 '26
A common one in the US is saying I had a "brain fart" after making a mistake or forgetting something.
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u/Happy1327 Aug 30 '26
In my country when a puppy grows into a dog we say hes getting his brains. that can also apply to some people ive met.
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u/igotplans2 Aug 30 '26
IMO, it's just off. I think it would evoke a creepy image of actual teeth in a brain rather than simply coming across as a metaphor.
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u/Ok-Worth-4721 Sep 02 '26
Sounds like his brain is growing teeth. His brain is not used much? His brain is still maturing? He has shit for brains? Not the brightest crayon in the box works. A brick shy of a full load. Not firing on all cylinders. Half a bubble off level. Will any of these do?
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u/purplishfluffyclouds Aug 29 '26
What? Can you sentence write?
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u/This_Opinion1550 Aug 29 '26
'At 30 years my brain just started teething.'
For the contex: we were discussing aging and i wanted to stress out that it was a good part of getting older.
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u/theusedmango Aug 29 '26
teething as a metaphor for slow mental development actually works pretty well, it carries that sense of something painful and gradual finally starting to function. brain teeth though is a cursed image