Learn English – A fun, catchy way to say the opposite of a ‘no-brainer’

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A no-brainer is "something that requires a minimum of thought" (Merriam-Webster). I could use some help with a catchy way of saying the opposite.

Sample sentence:

"I have to make a decision and it is definitely not a no-brainer, in fact, it's a real ___________."

I almost want to say, "…it's a real brainer." but that just sounds silly.

You could always say "…it's a difficult decision" but that's pretty bland.

Someone suggested brain-teaser in the comments, but I'm thinking of the context of a life decision like, "Should I accept this job?" or "Should I get married?" — something of that order — rather than a riddle.

I searched for 'antonyms of no-brainer' online but the first three hits came up empty.

Best Answer

Head-scratcher

2 Informal (originally US). A perplexing problem or question; something which causes bafflement or puzzlement.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/head-scratcher

Although OED says that this term is originally AmE, it is certainly widely understood in BrE.

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