Off the top of one's head (Idiom #6)

 If you would rather learn this from a video, click here

Idiom: off the top of one's head

Meanings:

• to speak about something without properly thinking about it
• to speak about something from one’s memory
• to know about something from memory/without reading up on it

Example sentences:

• I don’t know the details of the project off the top of my head but I can look it up and get back to you. 

• There are of course many books on this subject but these two are the only ones that I can tell off the top of my head.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  

Let's now look at a few examples of how this idiom can help you ace the IELTS Writing and Speaking tests.

If in part 1 of IELTS Speaking (General Training or Academic), the question you're asked is:

Who is your favourite author?

you could say:

There are quite a few actually, so it's difficult to name one. But off the top of my head, I'll say JK Rowling.

 

If in part 2 of IELTS Speaking (General Training or Academic, the cue card you're given is:

 

Talk about an intelligent person you know.

You should say:

                who this person is

                when you first met this person

                what this person does

and explain why you think this person is intelligent.

this can be part of your answer:

He's a great at memorizing stuff. He once listed  names of all the states in one breath off the top of his head.

If you are asked this question in part 3 of IELTS Speaking (General Training or Academic) 

What are the advantages of using technology in education?

you could answer by saying: 

Well, usage of technology to teach is beneficial is tons of ways. But off the top of my head, I’d say that a significant benefit is that it makes studies interesting for students. Basically, technology makes education edutainment. That is, it combines education and entertainment.

This idiom can be used in writing too. For example if your letter question in IELTS General Writing Task 1 is:

Write a letter to a friend who is planning to visit you from a foreign country.

In your letter:

•       Ask him to stay at your house

•       Suggest places that you can visit together

•       Advise him about what to pack

you can use the following in the letter you write:

There is a plethora of places that we can plan trips too. We can decide finally after thinking about it and discussing it, but off the top of my head, I can think of the couple of monuments which are about an hour’s drive from my place and the newly-built mall which is a must-visit for any shopping enthusiast.

On to a few life lessons which use the idiom 'off the top of one's head'. 

Quotable Quotes: 

The first one is by stand-up comedian Don Rickles in which he is saying that he doesn't plan his act/his jokes beforehand.

My whole act is off the top of my head.

Don Rickles

In the next one, another stand-up comedian Steven Wright is saying just the opposite.

Very rarely do I talk off the top of my head on stage. I'm not an improv guy. I'm a writer guy who presents what he's written.

Steven Wright

Here, singer-songwriter Washed out talks about how he writes lyrics. 

I just make up lyrics off the top of my head. A lot of times, there's a phrase I really like, and I kind of build the song around it.

Washed Out

 

The next quote is by fashion model Daria Werbowy in which she's saying that she can't think of anyone in particular who took helped her or took care of her in the course of her career.

Off the top of my head, I can’t really think of anyone who really took me under their wing. You get advice from everyone. Kate Moss once said to me, “Don’t worry about the past. Just keep going”. That has always sort of stuck with me.

Daria Werbowy

This quote also uses another idiom: to take under one's wing

All the images in this post are from a video posted on our YouTube channel. To visit the video, click here.

Do subscribe to our YouTube channel, Guide2IELTS. This is how we asked for likes, shares, comments, and subscriptions on the channel by using this idiom:

For the complete list of idioms, click here.

The questions are not mine. The answers are all mine.

The quotations are obviously not mine. The comments on them are all mine.