can't hear (oneself) think

can't hear (oneself) think

Cannot concentrate on anything due to overwhelming noise. Can you turn down that blaring music? I can't hear myself think! There's so much construction going on during the day that you can't even hear yourself think over the chorus of jackhammers.See also: hear, think

hear oneself think, can't

Be unable to concentrate because there is too much noise. For example, There was so much noise from the jackhammers we couldn't hear ourselves think. [Early 1900s] See also: hear

can't hear yourself think

INFORMALCOMMON If you say that you can't hear yourself think, you are complaining because there is a lot of noise that is disturbing you. For God's sake shut up. I can't hear myself think! If you're sitting in the front yard, you can't hear yourself think because the traffic is getting very, very bad.See also: hear, think

can’t hear yourself ˈthink

(informal) there is so much noise around you that you cannot think clearly: Can you turn the volume down? I can’t hear myself think in here.See also: hear, think