Could you explain "pick one's brains"? Picking someone's brains sounds like a disgusting thing to do, right? Wrong! It simply means to get information or ideas from someone. For example, a colleague of mine went to Lijiang in Yunnan earlier this year on holiday and, as I plan to visit there in a few months, I am picking her brains for ideas on what to see and do there. Your English teacher is probably more than happy for you to pick their brains on anything language related. Generally, we pick the brains of someone who is an expert on a subject, or knows a lot about it.