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Ann225 Posted 5 years ago
Grammar

Kick one’s brain into gear

Hi,

I’m familiar with the phrase ‘kick your brain into gear’. That being said, I recently heard it used in a slightly different way.

“Normally I don’t know that much about politics, but sometimes I kick my brain into the gear where I can access thoughts that’d otherwise not come to me.”

Is this still considered correct with ‘the’ in front of ‘gear’?

Thank you.

  

Top answer

Ann225 Is this still considered correct with ‘the’ in front of ‘gear’? It is a justifiable extension of the idea. The writer is not using it in its root sense and getting the wording screwed up.

— Anonymous

  • Ann225 Is this still considered correct with ‘the’ in front of ‘gear’?
  • It is a justifiable extension of the idea.
  • The writer is not using it in its root sense and getting the wording screwed up.
  • He is "torturing" the metaphor a little bit, which is allowed.
  • It is "the" gear "where something ", the specific gear that we use to engage that part of the brain.
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3 Answers
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Ann225Is this still considered correct with ‘the’ in front of ‘gear’?

It is a justifiable extension of the idea. The writer is not using it in its root sense and getting the wording screwed up. He is "torturing" the metaphor a little bit, which is allowed. It is "the" gear "where something", the specific gear that we use to engage that part of the br

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Ann225Is this still considered correct with ‘the’ in front of ‘gear’?

Yes, it's OK because "where I can access ..." tells us which gear is meant. "I kick my brain into the gear" by itself, with no indication of which gear, would not work.

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'the' is related to the question 'which?'

in gear suggests 'it doesn't matter which', 'any gear'

Here it's the difference between 'out of gear' and 'in gear', metaphorically 'not functioning' and 'functioning'.

in the gear (description of which gear) suggests a particular gear.

Here it's the difference between one gear and another, where each gear doe

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