We say off the top of my head when you need to think of something or remember something without any time to think, prepare or do research.
If you can answer someone’s question from memory, but you want to warn them that you haven’t thought carefully about the answer, you might introduce your answer with ‘Off the top of my head’.
e.g. A: Which street was that nice old antique shop on?
B: Off the top of my head, I think it was George Street.
A useful way to use this phrase is to tell people that you can’t answer a question from memory.
e.g. A: Do you remember what time the film starts on Saturday?
B: Not off the top of my head. You should look it up on the cinema website.
Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?
Listening exercises
Micro-listening
1
Accent: Ireland
Your browser does not support the audio element.
- Hard
- Medium
I anything of my – can I you tomorrow?
About the sentence
…Can I get back to you tomorrow?…
The phrasal verb to get back to someone means ‘to call or reply to someone at a later time’, or ‘to answer a question at a later time’. e.g. She’s not available at the moment. If you leave your number, she’ll get back to you tomorrow.
Definition: Extemporaneously; in an impromptu manner; without having precise knowledge or without careful thought.
People often use this before listing several of their ideas that they think of first.
Origin of Off the Top of My Head
Imagine if your head was filled with ideas. The ones on the top would be the easiest to retrieve, and they are the easiest to find.
These ideas might not be the best ones that you had, or the ones that have been carefully examined. This is the imagery that comes to mind with this expression.
This idiom originated in American in the mid-1900s. People typically say this before sharing their initial reaction to something, a rough estimate of a figure, or their first ideas.
An early example of this phrase can be found in Harold L. Icke’s 1939 Secret Diary:
- He was impetuous and inclined to think off the top of his head at times.
Examples of Off the Top of My Head
Maria: Mom and Dad are so hard to surprise. I think it will be impossible to think of something unexpected to do for their anniversary.
Franco: That’s not true! It will be easy to come up with some ideas.
Maria: Oh yeah? Like what?
Franco: Well, just off the top of my head, we could make a compilation of their cutest moments from old videos. Or we could orchestrate a flash mob to tell their love story through dance. Or, we could recreate the moment they first met.
Maria: Those all sound like a lot of work.
Franco: You didn’t say the ideas had to be easy as well as surprising. And as I said, those were just the ideas of the top of my head. If you give me a little more time, I can think of some better, more carefully prepared ideas.
Lorenzo: I can’t get below a 90% on our final test, or I’ll fail the class.
Alba: Are you sure? How much is the final test worth in the overall score for the class?
Lorenzo: I can’t remember exactly, but off the top of my head, I’d estimate about 25% of the total score.
More Examples
The excerpt below is about ideas for a football team to improve.
- “There were a lot of things I thought we did good, there were a lot of things I feel we need to work on,” he said. “Off the top of my head I can point to a couple, but I thought for the most part we moved the ball pretty good especially in that two-minute drill.” –OC Register
This excerpt is from an article about bringing manufacturing jobs back to Chicago.
- Chicago is a city with a rich manufacturing heritage. If you look back at the history of the city, what was made here and still is made here, and you look at the South Side of Chicago and what is truly needed from a societal point of view there, we don’t know of a better place, off the top of my head today, where we would go. –Chicago Tribune
Summary
The idiom off the top of my head describes ideas or estimates that someone has spontaneously, without careful thought beforehand.
What does on the top of his head mean?
In an impromptu way, without much thought, as in Off the top of my head I'd say we'll double our profits in a year. This idiom suggests one has not used the inside of one's head before making some statement. [ Mid-1900s]
What does it's not on top of my head mean?
A useful way to use this phrase is to tell people that you can't answer a question from memory. e.g. A: Do you remember what time the film starts on Saturday? B: Not off the top of my head. You should look it up on the cinema website.
What is an example of the idiom off the top of your head?
There are some good restaurants around here, but I can't tell you their names off the top of my head. "Do you remember her name?" "Not off the top of my head."• I keep doing stuff off the top of my head. "How much is the house worth?" "Off the top of my head, I'd say it's worth maybe $160,000."
What does off of your head mean?
to be crazy: You must be off your head going out in this weather! UK. to not be in control of your behavior because you have drunk too much alcohol or taken drugs: Hannah was off her head as usual.