Dictionary

off the top of one's head en · ADP

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) In an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation.
   • “Oh, I don't have my stuff with me, and I don't know her work phone number off the top of my head. Here, take one of my cards.” “Are you a lawyer, too?” he asked, and then perused her information. 2008, Christine Son, Off the Menu, Penguin, →ISBN:
   • Ideally, one would wish to explore them through a series of depth interviews extending over several months, rather than by a brief survey interview, which necessarily tends to elicit responses off the top of one's head. 1990, Ronald Inglehart, Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 130:
   • These responses are not analyzed but are intended to discourage answers off the top of one's head to the next question, which explicitly asks if these situated responses reflect the strength of character on focus. 2004, Christopher Peterson, Martin E. P. Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 633:
   • 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.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see off, top, head.

Forms

Relateds

off the cuff · extemporize · spur of the moment · ad-lib · improvise · fly by the seat of one's pants · on the fly · pull out of one's ass · make it up as one goes along · wing it

Synonyms

on the spot · offhandedly

Translations (23)

nn på strak arm (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fi suoralta kädeltä (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · hu hasból (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fr de tête (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fi äkkipäätä (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · sv på stående fot (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · sv på rak arm (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fr à froid (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fi muistinvaraisesti (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · de aus dem Stegreif (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · es a bote pronto (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · nn på ståande fot (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · pl z głowy (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fr comme ça (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · ru навски́дку (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · gl de cabeza (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · pt de cabeça (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · ru экспро́мтом (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · cs (takhle) z fleku (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fi kylmiltään (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · fi äkkiseltään (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · pl bez zastanowienia (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation) · pl impromptu (in an extemporaneous manner; without careful thought, preparation, or investigation)