brain surgery

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brain surgery (usually uncountable, plural brain surgeries)

1. (countable, uncountable, literal) Surgery on the brain or, loosely, any part of the nervous system.

   Synonym: neurosurgery

2. (uncountable, idiomatic, hyperbolic, chiefly in the negative) Anything overly complex, detailed, or confusing.

   Synonyms: rocket science, rocket surgery

   It's not brain surgery. Just screw in the bulb and flip the switch.

• This idiomatic is usually used in a negative comparison, as in the example above, to show that something is (or should be) simple, straightforward, or obvious.