Off and on

Off and on
Off Off ([o^]f; 115), adv. [OE. of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep., AS. of, adv. & prep. [root]194. See {Of}.] In a general sense, denoting from or away from; as: [1913 Webster]

1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile off. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

4. Denoting a different direction; not on or towards: away; as, to look off. [1913 Webster]

5. Denoting opposition or negation. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on. --Bp. Sanderson. [1913 Webster]

{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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • off-and-on — adj. discontinuous; not continuous. Opposite of {continuous}. [prenominal] Syn: interrupted. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • off and on — also[on and off] {adv.} Not regularly; occasionally; sometimes. * /Joan wrote to a pen pal in England off and on for several years./ * /It rained off and on all day./ Sometimes used with hyphens like an adjective. * /A worn out cord may make a… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • off and on — also[on and off] {adv.} Not regularly; occasionally; sometimes. * /Joan wrote to a pen pal in England off and on for several years./ * /It rained off and on all day./ Sometimes used with hyphens like an adjective. * /A worn out cord may make a… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • off and on — adverb Date: 1535 with periodic cessation ; intermittently < rained off and on all day > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Off and Running — Cover of Off and Running VHS Directed by Edward Bianchi Written by …   Wikipedia

  • Dust Off and Dance — Studio album by Tiffany Released May 31, 2005 Recorded 2005 …   Wikipedia

  • To stand off and on — Stand Stand (st[a^]nd), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Stood} (st[oo^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Standing}.] [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, st[=a]n, D. staan, OS. standan, st[=a]n, OHG. stantan, st[=a]n, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Off — ([o^]f; 115), adv. [OE. of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep., AS. of, adv. & prep. [root]194. See {Of}.] In a general sense, denoting from or away from; as: [1913 Webster] 1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile off. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • And Now for Something Completely Different — DVD cover Directed by Ian MacNaughton Produced by …   Wikipedia

  • Off spin — Not to be confused with Spin off (disambiguation). Bowling techniques Bowling strategy Fast bowling Seam bowling Swing bowling Medium pace bowling Spin bowling Finger spin Off spin Left arm orthodox Wrist spin Leg spin …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”