Re: USAGE: [w]rack

In a message dated 4/11/2000 4:15:16 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
james@ZOLID.COM writes:

<< An expression long-used in our family is "to rack one's brain", i.e. to
 struggle to remember something. SOED has:

 # Rack v(3)
 # 1. ... c. To torture, distract, lacerate (the mind, soul, etc.) 1576 ...
 # 3.b. To strain, task severely (the mind, brain, etc.) 1583.
 # [Quote:] Racking his wits to contrive exquisite complements 1880.

 "Wrack"'s meanings (wreck, destroy, ruin usw.) are close enough to "rack"'s
 for the words to be confused. For instance, I'm sure I've seen "wracked with
 pain".
  >>
How curious.  Can't recall seeing these words in written form in a long time,
though familiar with both ("sea-wrack" etc. in poetry?).  My first impulse
would have been "wrack my brain....." but then, until 1975, I consistently
spelled _lizard_ with two z's, a la  _blizzard_ (doctoral committee very
kindly pointed out the error, necessitating several annoying corrections).