rattle off

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rattle off

It’s a manufactured veneer of hyper-competence that he can rattle off whenever he is confronted about his personal misconduct.

From Salon ● May 16, 2026

Liu can rattle off a list of everything she loves about it: the entrance to the triple salchow, the exit after the loop, the loop itself, the step sequence—and the ebullient finale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

In a topsy-turvy opening set, the six-time major champion Alcaraz raced into a 3-0 lead, only for De Minaur to rattle off three games in a row for 3-3, to roars of approval.

From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026

Is it when you can rattle off directions to a tourist without needing to check your GPS?

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025

And right before I hang up, I rattle off my phone number, then immediately wish I hadn’t.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen