To Wrap Your Head Around Something

Context #1

John: Can you believe that young Japanese pitcher Tanaka signed a $250 million contract with the Yankees?

Tom: I know!  That's a lot of money.  I can't imagine being 23 years old and making that much money.

John: Yeah, it's hard for me to wrap my head around that.

Context #2

Sally:  Did you hear that Justin Bieber got arrested for drunk driving again?

Jill: Man, he is so stupid!  If he doesn't change his behavior he's going to ruin his life with drugs and alcohol.

Sally:  Yeah, I know!  He can't seem to wrap his head around just how serious it is to drink and drive.  He might kill somebody someday.

Meaning: to wrap your head around something is an expression that started to appear in American English relatively recently.  It means to be able to truly understand or grasp something with your mind/thinking.  Practical idioms like this are taught at LSI in our Speaking and Conversation classes.  For more information please visit: www.languagesystems.edu