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.

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What does off the top of your head mean?
What does off my head mean in slang?
What does off the top mean in slang?
What is it called when you act off the top of your head?

1990, Ronald Inglehart, Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society, Princeton University Press, →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.
2004, Christopher Peterson, Martin E. P. Seligman, Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, : 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.

2008, Christine Son, Off the Menu, Penguin, →ISBN:

“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.

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When I saw or knew something, but currently I don't remember it, and after someone talks about it it revives my memory, what expression(s) may I use?

For some reason, probably heard someone saying but it's wrong, I got used to say: "sorry, it wasn't on top of my head".

I asked a native English speaker and he had trouble finding expressions for it.

I don't want something cold like "sorry, I couldn't remember". Something funnier, friendlier.

Is there an English expression for that? Any idea how I ended up with "on top of my head"? I actually like it, but I understand it is wrong.

Thanks!

asked Aug 5, 2022 at 18:56

The expression is:

off the top of your head (idiom)

from the knowledge you have in your memory:
"What's the capital of Mauritania?" "I don't know off the top of my head, but I could go and look it up."

(Cambridge Dictionary)

answered Aug 5, 2022 at 19:00

user 66974user 66974

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On the tip of my tongue

If something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you know it and that you will be able to remember it very soon:
Her name is on the tip of my tongue. (Cambridge)

Collins defines the same expression as meaning

that you are sure you know something, such as a word, an answer, or a name, but that you cannot remember it at the moment.

As an aside, there is also the word offhand, which used as an adverb means:

without looking for information and without thinking carefully; immediately:
I can't quote the exact statistics for you offhand, but they're there for you to see in the report. (Cambridge)

So in your situation it might be used to mean that you say something without trying too hard to remember exactly, without checking that the facts are exactly as you say.

answered Aug 5, 2022 at 19:02

fevfev

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When you forgot to do something because it was lower priority, it’s because it wasn’t

top of mind

Wiktionary:

Foremost in one's thoughts; of greatest concern or priority.

answered Aug 6, 2022 at 16:41

Most likely you are conflating two different expressions on the tip of my tongue and off the top of my head and ending up with on the top of my head.

With on on the tip of my tongue you can say you know the answer you just need a bit of a nudge to get it out: “I know the answer, it’s just on the tip of my tongue, give me a few more details/seconds and I’ll have it”.

Not knowing something off the top of your head on the other hand is much less accessible. It requires active research to get the answer. It’s something that someone might know, but not something you know.

What does off the top of your 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 off my head mean in slang?

Definition of 'off one's head' If you say that someone is off their head, you think that their ideas or behaviour are very strange, foolish, or dangerous. [mainly British, informal, disapproval]

What does off the top mean in slang?

If you're stealing money, it means you're taking small amounts from the total hoping no one will notice. “He was skimming off the top, but his boss noticed.” If you say off the top of my head, it means you're answering with your first instinct, not necessarily having thought it through.