brainpan

American  

[breyn-pan] / ˈbreɪnˌpæn /

noun

1. the skull or cranium.

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brainpan British  

/ ˈbreɪnˌpæn /

noun

1. informal the skull

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Etymology

Origin of brainpan

before 1000; Middle English brayn panne, Old English brægenpanne. See brain, pan ¹

Example Sentences

The Jewish children’s charity has burrowed into the national brainpan for more than 10 years and attracted government scrutiny for its charitable disbursements.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 30, 2023

“Ignorance” is gray and confined within a cage, “Shame” is purple with nails pounded into its squashed brainpan, and “The Subconscious” is covered in gold leaf and recessed into a blue rectangle.

From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2023

Lately, all these gifts — the big brainpan, the quick tongue, the upper-class diction — have allowed him to make a reputation playing characters who are very bright but not quite normal.

From New York Times • Dec. 31, 2014

I’ve got a lot on my brainpan these days!

From Slate • Aug. 6, 2014

I shook my head, trying to clear my brainpan.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson