brain freeze

[ breyn freez ]

noun

, Informal.

1. Also called ice cream head·ache [ahys, kreem , hed, -eyk]. a pain in the temples and forehead brought on by quickly consuming very cold food or drink.
2. a temporary lapse in memory; a sudden mental block.

Word History and Origins

Origin of brain freeze¹

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton described it as a "brain freeze", former Leeds forward Lucy Ward said on TNT it was a "shambles" and "farcical", while ex-England striker Peter Crouch called it a "moment of madness".

From BBC

It's a brain freeze from Mings.

From BBC

Granted, it is about a scheme to remove Will’s brain, freeze it, and blast it into space at unprecedented speeds so it can be intercepted and studied by the San-Ti.

From New York Times

And that feels almost as bad as the brain freeze I suddenly get from the flavored ice.

From Literature

If Biden had ignored the question, these same pundits would have said that he’d gone deaf or that the ice cream had given him brain freeze.

From Slate