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(), 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 Off (), interj.Away; begone; -- a command to depart. 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 off one's food, to have no appetite. (Colloq.) 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. Off n.(Cricket) The side of the field that is on the right of the wicket keeper. スポンサード リンク
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