head like a sieve
Constantly forgetting things
To have a head like a sieve is to be extremely forgetful, as if information passes through your mind the way water drains through the holes in a strainer.
The phrase is self-deprecating and informal: Sorry I forgot your birthday—I've got a head like a sieve.
Also *memory like a sieve*.
- absent-mindednessPreoccupied inattention to surroundings
- airheadFoolish, flighty person
- distractedUnable to concentrate
- forgetfulnessFailure to retain information
- senior momentBrief memory lapse
drawing a blank · scatterbrained · brain fog · preoccupied · spaced out · inattentive · lapse · lost in thought · away with the fairies · disorganized · mental block · out to lunch · lost the plot · unfocused · colander · amnesia · swiss cheese memory · strainer
head like a sievesharp as a tack
Extremely intelligent and alert
sharp-minded · quick-witted · on the ball · keen mind · alert
head, heads, headed, heading, header, headless, headship, overhead, beheaded