Off (?), adv. [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 mimic or personate.
<-- also, to take off on, to do a take-off on -->
-- To tell off 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 criticise -->
-- To be well off, to be in good condition.
-- To be ill off, To be badly off, to be in poor condition.
© Webster 1913.
Off (?), interj.
Away; begone; -- a command to depart.
© Webster 1913.
Off, prep.
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, to be of a wrong color. <-- to be mildly obscene -->
-- To be off one's food, to have no appetite. (Colloq.)
© Webster 1913.
Off, a.
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."
Thackeray.
Off side. (a) The right hand side in driving; the farther side. See Gee. (b) Cricket See Off, n.
© Webster 1913.
Off, n. Cricket
The side of the field that is on the right of the wicket keeper.
© Webster 1913.