Skimming the top refers to a technique of quickly and superficially reading or scanning the surface level of a piece of information in order to gather the most important details. Like any other expression in the English language, "skim the top" has a host of synonyms that can be used interchangeably to convey the same idea. Some of these phrases include "preliminary look," "rough overview," "cursory scan," "surface scan," "quick glance," "perfunctory reading," "hasty review," and "superficial inspection." Each of these terms carries a slightly different connotation and usage, but they all essentially describe the same skill of rapidly absorbing key information.