Deeper Dive: off
off
adverb [Pref. a- + round.]
[OE. of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep., AS. of, adv. & prep. √194. See Of.]
In a general sense, denoting from or away from; as:
1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile off.
2. Denoting the action of removing or separating; separation; as, to take off the hat or cloak; to cut off, to pare off, to clip off, to peel off, to tear off, to march off, to fly off, and the like.
3. Denoting a leaving, abandonment, departure, abatement, interruption, or remission; as, the fever goes off; the pain goes off; the game is off; all bets are off.
4. Denoting a different direction; not on or towards: away; as, to look off.
5. Denoting opposition or negation. [Obs.]
The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on. Bp. Sanderson.
From off
off from; off.
“A live coal . . . taken with the tongs from off the altar.” Is. vi. 6.
Off and on (a) Not constantly; not regularly; now and then; occasionally.
(b) (Naut.) On different tacks, now toward, and now away from, the land.
To be off (a) To depart; to escape; as, he was off without a moment’s warning.
(b) To be abandoned, as an agreement or purpose; as, the bet was declared to be off. [Colloq.]
To come off
To cut off
To fall off
To go off
etc. See under Come, Cut, Fall, Go, etc.
To get off (a) To utter; to discharge; as, to get off a joke.
(b) To go away; to escape; as, to get off easily from a trial. [Colloq.]
To take off
To do a take-off on
To take off
to mimic, lampoon, or impersonate.
To tell off (a) (Mil.) to divide and practice a regiment or company in the several formations, preparatory to marching to the general parade for field exercises.
Farrow.
(b) to rebuke (a person) for an improper action; to scold; to reprimand.
To be well off
to be in good condition.
To be ill off
To be badly off
to be in poor condition.
Off (ŏf; 115) interjection Away; begone; – a command to depart.
Off preposition Not on; away from; as, to be off one's legs or off the bed; two miles off the shore. Addison.
Off hand
See Offhand.
Off side (Football)
out of play; – said when a player has got in front of the ball in a scrimmage, or when the ball has been last touched by one of his own side behind him.
To be off color (a) to be of a wrong color.
(b) to be mildly obscene.
To be off one's food
or
To be off one's feed (Colloq.) to have no appetite; to be eating less than usual.
Off adjective
1. On the farther side; most distant; on the side of an animal or a team farthest from the driver when he is on foot; in the United States, the right side; as, the off horse or ox in a team, in distinction from the nigh or near horse or ox; the off leg.
Off side (a) The right hand side in driving; the farther side. See Gee.
(b) (Cricket) See Off, noun
Off noun (Cricket) 1. The side of the field that is on the right of the wicket keeper.
2. A dead body; carrion. Shak.
3. That which is thrown away as worthless or unfit for use; refuse; rubbish.
The offals of other professions. South.
-- Webster's unabridged 1913
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