total recall

American  

noun

1. the ability to remember with complete, detailed accuracy.

---

total recall British  

noun

1. psychol the faculty or an instance of complete and clear recall of every detail of something

---

Etymology

Origin of total recall

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

While remarkable, RJ’s total recall doesn’t put him in the category of an autistic savant, the best-known of whom is a Hollywood creation.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 27, 2023

The total recall figure is almost equivalent to the 500,000 cars Tesla delivered last year, Reuters reports.

From BBC • Dec. 30, 2021

Today, Gordon has total recall of the sequence.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2019

The movie tells the story of a world that has forgotten the Beatles ever existed but, in a twist of Lars von Trier-level cinematic bleakness, has total recall of James Corden.

From The Guardian • Feb. 14, 2019

There are times that one treasures for all one’s life, and such times are burned clearly and sharply on the material of total recall.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck