get someone's neurons firing
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
to stimulate someone's thoughts or ideas
Literally: brain cells starting to work
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
The puzzle got my neurons firing and I finally solved it
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “get someone's neurons firing” mean?
to stimulate someone's thoughts or ideas Literally: brain cells starting to work
Is “get someone's neurons firing” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.