Off
Off (of; 115) , adverb
[Old English of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep., Anglo-Saxon of, adv. & prep. r194. 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. [Obsolete]
The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on.
Collocations (9)
From off , off from; off. A live coal... taken with the tongs from off the altar.
Off and on (Nautical) , (a) Not constantly; not regularly; now and then; occasionally. 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. [Colloquial]
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. [Colloquial]
To take off or To do a take-off on or To take off , to mimic, lampoon, or impersonate.
To tell off (Military) , (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 or To be badly off , to be in poor condition.
Off (of; 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
Collocations (4)
Off hand , See Offhand.
Off side , 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 , 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.
2.
Designating a time when one is not strictly attentive to business or affairs, or is absent from his post, and, hence, a time when affairs are not urgent; as, he took an off day for fishing: an off year in politics.
In the off season.
3.
Designating a time when one's performance is below normal; as, he had an off day.
Collocations (1)
Off , noun
(Cricket) The side of the field that is on the right of the wicket keeper.