rattle off



rattle something off

 and reel something off
to recite something quickly and accurately. She can really reel song lyrics off. Listen to Mary rattle off those numbers.
See also: off, rattle

rattle off something

also rattle something off
to say something quickly She rattled something off in French that I didn't understand.
Usage notes: often used when someone gives a list of facts or other related information from memory: Walter could rattle off the statistics of players from the 1920s and '30s.
Related vocabulary: reel off something
See also: off, rattle

rattle off

Also, reel off. Utter or perform rapidly or effortlessly, often at length. For example, The treasurer rattled off the list of all those who had not paid their dues, or She reeled off song after song. The verb rattle has been used for fast talking since the late 1300s and for other kinds of fast production since the late 1800s (George Bernard Shaw wrote of "men who rattle off their copy" in a letter of 1896). The verb reel off, which alludes to unwinding from a reel, has been used figuratively since about 1830.
See also: off, rattle

rattle off

v.
To recite something rapidly and easily; reel something off: She rattled off the names of people who had recently applied for the job opening. He knows every state capital and can easily rattle them off if you ask him to.
See also: off, rattle

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Keren-HappuchKER-ən HAP-ook (English)Biblical
Dezirindade-zee-REEN-dahEsperanto
Bulus-Arabic
Puneet-Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Linnetteli-NETEnglish (Rare)
Junia-Biblical, Ancient Roman