ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rattle off

idiom
Meaning

To list or recite quickly.


Examples
SIMPLE

She can rattle off all fifty states in under a minute.

CONTEXTUAL

The waiter rattled off the daily specials so fast that I had to ask him to repeat them.

COMPLEX

Without glancing at his notes, the professor rattled off a dozen dates and names, his memory for historical detail apparently inexhaustible.

Anchors to
Related idioms1entry
  1. 01

    rattle through

    To do something extremely quickly and perfunctorily.

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