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off on Idiom

a takeoff on

similar to, based on the same idea, a send-up The school play was a takeoff on Shakespeare's Hamlet.

cut off one

make things worse for oneself because one is angry - usually at someone else When he decided not to go to the party he was cutting off his nose to spite his face. He was the one who lost out on a good opportunity to meet many new people.

get off on

like to do, enjoy He gets off on bowling. He loves to knock over those pins.

get off on the wrong foot

make a bad start, begin with a mistake Unfortunately my relationship with my new teacher got off on the wrong foot.

get off one

stop criticizing or nagging someone I wish that my mother would get off my back about trying to find a better job.get busy, start working He should get off his butt and try and get a job so he will have some money.begin to be humble and agreeable I wish that she would get off her high horse and begin to think about how other people feel about things.

knock off one

surprise or shock someone so much that they don't know what to do The singer's voice was so beautiful that I was nearly knocked off my feet.

off one

stop from bothering one, remove as an annoyance or pest I wish my boss would get off my back and stop bothering me.talk about a problem to someone so that it doesnno longer in one's care or possession I would like to get my old refridgerator off my hands so that I can buy a new one.not acting proud and scornful We got him off his high horse when he was forced to admit that he had made many mistakes related to the new product launch.crazy He must be off his rocker if he thinks that he can spend all that money and not have a problem.

skin off one

matter of interest, concern or trouble to one It is no skin off my nose as to whether or not I get invited to the party or not.

sweep off one

overcome with strong feelings We were swept off our feet over the excitement of the ceremony.

takeoff on

(See a takeoff on)

off one's box

1. intoxicated; the off can be substituted with out of.
2. out of one's mind, crazy

get off one's chest

release one's true feelings or emotions 倾诉出自己的真实感情
I tried to hold back my real dislike for him，but I finally had to get my true feelings off my chest．我试图掩饰对他的不喜欢，但我最后还是不得不讲出我的真实感情。
When you get very upset，it's good to get it off your chest．当你烦躁不安时，把事情讲出来是有好处的。
If you are worried about some thing，get it off your chest．如果你有心事，就痛痛快快说出来吧。

take off one's hat to

give honor，praise and respect to 向…致敬；称赞；颂扬
He was indeed a courageous man and I took off my hat to him．他确实是个勇敢的人，我佩服他。
You've done a remarkably fine job—I take off my hat to you．你干得太出色了，我向你致敬。

wish sth off on

Idiom(s): wish sth off on sb

Theme: BURDEN

to pass something off onto someone else. (Informal.)
• I don't want to have to deal with your problems. Don't wish them off on me.
• The storekeeper wished off the defective watch on the very next customer who came in.

take off one's hat

Idiom(s): take off one's hat (to sb)

Theme: PRAISE

to offer praise for someone's good accomplishments.
• I have to take off my hat to Mayor Johnson. She has done an excellent job.
• Yes, we all ought to take off our hats. She is our best mayor ever.

sweep one off one's feet

Idiom(s): sweep one off one's feet AND knock one off one's feet

Theme: FORCE

to knock someone down.
• The wind swept me off my feet.
• Bill punched Bob playfully, and knocked him off his feet.

start off on the wrong foot

Idiom(s): start off on the wrong foot

Theme: BEGINNINGS

to begin [something] by doing something wrong.
• I don't want to start off on the wrong foot by saying something stupid. What should I say?
• Poor Donna started off on the wrong foot when she arrived forty minutes late.

off one's rocker

Idiom(s): off one's rocker AND off one's nut; off one's trolley

Theme: CRAZINESS

crazy; silly. (Slang.)
• Sometimes, Bob, I think you're off your rocker.
• Good grief, John. You re off your nut.
• About this time of the day I go off my trolley. I get so tired.

off on the wrong foot

Idiom(s): be off on the wrong foot AND be off to a bad start

Theme: WRONG

to have started something with negative factors.
• I'm sorry we are off to a bad start. I tried to be friendly.
• I hope that we won't be off to a bad start after our little argument.

no skin off one's teeth

Idiom(s): no skin off someone's teeth AND no skin off someone's nose

Theme: EASY

no difficulty for someone; no concern of someone.
• It's no skin off my nose if she wants to act that way.
• She said it was no skin off her teeth if we wanted to sell the house.

go off on a tangent

Idiom(s): go off on a tangent

Theme: DIRECTION

to go off suddenly in another direction; suddenly to change one's line of thought, course of action, etc. (A reference to geometry. Plural: go off on tangents.)
• Please stick to one subject and don't go off on a tangent.
• If Mary would settle down and deal with one subject she would he all right, hut she keeps going off on tangents.

give sb the shirt off one's back

Idiom(s): give sb the shirt off one's back

Theme: GENEROSITY

to be very generous or solicitous to someone.
• Tom really likes Bill. He'd give Bill the shirt off his back.
• John is so friendly that he'd give anyone the shirt off his back.

get sth off one's chest

Idiom(s): get sth off one's chest

Theme: CONFESSION

to tell something that has been bothering you.
• I have to get this off my chest. I broke your window with a stone.
• I knew I'd feel better when I had that off my chest.

Get off one's case!

Idiom(s): Get off someone's case! AND Get off someone's back!; Get off someone's tail!

Theme: ANNOYANCE

Leave someone alone!; Stop picking on someone! (Slang. Usually a command.)
• I'm tired of your criticism, Bill. Get off my easel
• Quit picking on her. Get off her back!
• Leave me alone! Get off my tail!

get a load off one's mind

Idiom(s): get a load off one's mind

Theme: COMMUNICATION

to communicate what one is thinking; to speak one's mind. (Informal.)
• He sure talked a long time. I guess he had to get a load off his mind.
• You aren't going to like what I'm going to say, but I have to get a load off my mind.

get a load off one's feet

Idiom(s): get a load off one's feet AND take a load off one's feet

Theme: RELAXATION

to sit down; to enjoy the results of sitting down. (Informal.)
• Come in, John. Sit down and take a load off your feet.
• Yes, I need to get a load off my feet. I'm really tired.

cut off one's nose to spite one's face

Idiom(s): cut off one's nose to spite one's face

Theme: HARM

a phrase meaning that one harms oneself in trying to punish another person. (The phrase is variable in form. Note the examples.)
• Billy loves the zoo, but he refused to go with his mother because he was mad at her. He cut off his nose to spite his face.
• Find a better way to be angry. It is silly to cut your nose off to spite your face.

take a load off one's feet

off one's trolley

off one's nut

no skin off one's nose

knock one off one's feet

Get off one's tail!

Get off one's back!

catch one off one's guard

Idiom(s): catch someone off guard AND catch one off one's guard

Theme: SURPRISE

to catch a person at a time of carelessness.
• Tom caught Ann off guard and frightened her.
• She caught me off my guard, and I told the location of the jewels.

get off on the wrong foot with someone

to start off badly with someone: "She really got off on the wrong foot with her new boss."

hold off on

delay
"We should hold off on making dinner until your parents arrive."

come down off one's high horse|come|horse

v. phr. To become less arrogant; to assume a more modest disposition. The boastful candidate for Congress quickly came down off his high horse when he was soundly beaten by his opponent.

cut off one's nose to spite one's face|cut|face|no

v. phr. To suffer from an action intended originally to harm another person. In walking out and leaving his employer in the lurch, John really cut off his nose to spite his face, since no business wanted to hire him afterwards.

get off on the wrong foot|foot|get|get off|wrong f

v. phr. To make a bad start; begin with a mistake. Peggy got off on the wrong foot with her new teacher; she chewed gum in class and the teacher didn't like it.

get off one's back|back|get|get off

v. phr., slang, colloquial To stop criticizing or nagging someone. "Get off my back! Can't you see how busy I am?"

get off one's case|back|case|get|get off|get off o

v. phr. To stop bothering and constantly checking up on someone; quit hounding one. "Get off my case!" he cried angrily. "You're worse than the cops."
Antonym: ON ONE'S CASE.

get off one's tail|get|get off|tail

v. phr., slang To get busy, to start working. OK you guys! Get off your tails and get cracking!

give the shirt off one's back|give|shirt

v. phr., informal To give away something or everything that you own. He'd give you the shirt off his back.

knock off one's feet|foot|knock|knock off one's fo

v. phr. To surprise (someone) so much that he does not know what to do. Her husband's death knocked Mrs. Jones off her feet. When Charlie was given the prize, it knocked him off his feet for a few minutes.
Compare: BOWL OVER², SWEEP OFF ONE'S FEET.

off feed|feed|off|off one's feed

adj. phr., informal Not feeling well; lacking in vitality; droopy; moody. Mary was worried; her canary was off feed. Jerry seemed to be off his feed; he did not joke and laugh with the others.

off one's back|back|off

adj. phr. 1. informal Stopped from bothering one; removed as an annoyance or pest. "Having a kid brother always following me is a nuisance," Mary told her mother. "Can't you get him off my back?" The singer was so popular with teenagers that he took a secret vacation, to keep them off his back.
Antonym: ON ONE'S BACK². See: GIVE THE SHIRT OFF ONE'S BACK.

off one's chest|chest|off

adj. phr., informal Told to someone and so not bothering you anymore; not making you feel worried or upset, because you have talked about it. After Dave told the principal that he had cheated on the test, he was glad because it was off his chest. Father felt that Tom wasn't helping enough around the house, so he got it off his chest by giving Tom a list of things to do.
Compare: MAKE A CLEAN BREAST OF.
Antonym: ON ONE'S CHEST.

off one's hands|hands|off

adv. phr. No longer in your care or possession. Ginny was glad to have the sick dog taken off her hands by the doctor.
Antonym: ON ONE'S HANDS.

off one's head|head|off

adj. phr. Crazy; mad. We had no doubt that the old man was off his head when we saw him jumping into the lake with his winter coat on.

off on someone or something

in a acerbity about addition or something; on a abuse about addition or something. Are you off on Sally again? Why can't you leave her alone?Learn more: off, on

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More Idioms/Phrases

off center off day off duty off feed off guard off one's back off one's chest off one's hands off one's head off one's high horse off one's rocker off the air off the beam off the beaten track off the cuff off the hook off the record

English Vocalbulary

off print off-road vehicle off state off-state off the cuff off-the-cuff off the hook off the record off-the-road tyre off-the-road vehicle off-the-shoulder off-the-shoulder dress off-the-shoulder gown off-the-shoulder top off the top of my head off-time off to bed off-white