Meaning of Idiom ‘Off the Top of My (or one’s) Head’
Off the top of one’s head means to say something spontaneously, without much thought or consideration as to whether one is correct; to give a quick guess or to estimate something. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.,3Brenner, Gail Abel. Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook. Wiley, 2003.
Usage
This idiom is often used to say “I don’t know” as in “not off the top of my head.”
Examples Of Use
“Do you know how much a bus token costs?” asked Jane. “Off the top of my head, I think it’s $1.55,” said John.
“If you want to run a successful business, you need to know your numbers off the top of your head.”
“Just off the top of my head, I’d say there is a seventy-five percent chance of success.”
“I know you’ve worked with many clients. Can you name some of your biggest ones off the top of your head?”
Origin
Used since the mid-1900’s.
This idiom alludes to not thinking very deeply or not using the inside of one’s brain, suggesting that thoughts are coming only from the top surface of the brain.
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- Elbow Room
- Blow Smoke Up Someone’s Ass
- Give Your Right Arm (for something)
More Head Idioms
- Hard-Headed
- Running Around Like a Chicken With its Head Cut Off
- Hit the Nail On the Head
- Head Of The Class
- Hang One’s Head
More Off Idioms
More Thought Related Idioms
- Miles Away, to be
- Why Do We Say By Heart Instead of By Brain to Mean Mermorize?
- Under the Impression
- Penny for Your Thoughts, a
- Enter One’s Head
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Sources
| 1. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. |
| 3. | ↲ | Brenner, Gail Abel. Webster’s New World American Idioms Handbook. Wiley, 2003. |