off the top of one's head

off the top of one's head

English

Prepositional phrase

off the top of one's head

1. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see off,‎ top,‎ head.
2. (idiomatic) In an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation.

   I cannot think of any good examples off the top of my head, but give me a couple of hours and I'm sure I could come up with something.

Usage notes

• Usually used to characterize the manner of one's thinking or speaking.

• Often indicates a random piece of information put forth by a knowledgeable expert in the topic spoken within.

Synonyms

• offhandedly

Translations

in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation

Czech: (please verify) (jen tak) z hlavy, (please verify) (takhle) z hlavy, (takhle) z fleku Finnish: juuri nyt (fi), suoralta kädeltä German: aus dem Stegreif Norwegian: Nynorsk: på ståande fot, på strak arm

Russian: навски́дку (ru) (navskídku), экспро́мтом (ru) (eksprómtom) Spanish: a bote pronto Swedish: på stående fot (sv), på rak arm (sv)

See also

• extemporize