English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
The Grammar of Memory
I couldn’t give them the figure off head (nonstandard).
I couldn’t give them the figures offhand (standard). To do something without premeditation or preparation is to do it offhand.
I can recite the poem off head (nonstandard).
I can recite the poem offhand (wrong).
I can recite the poem by heart (standard). If you know something such as a poem by heart, you have learned it so well that you can remember it without having to read it.
GAB
