Memories flooded back with toy in hand.

Meaning: When the child held the toy, they remembered many happy times.

Choice of Words: The word "memories" refers to thoughts or feelings about past events, "flooded" means to come in quickly and in large quantities, "back" indicates a return to a previous state or condition, "with" indicates accompaniment or association, and "toy" refers to the object.

Alternative Expressions

Related Expressions