off-whiten.adj.

Brit.

/ˌɒfˈwʌɪt/, U.S.

/ˈɔfˈ(h)waɪt/,

/ˈɑfˈ(h)waɪt/

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: off- prefix, white n.

Etymology: < off- prefix + white n.

A. n.

A colour very close to white, frequently having a grey or yellow tinge.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > [noun] > off-white or dirty white

sheep's-colour1551

whey-colour1662

sullied white1681

crash1927

off-white1927

natural1930

1927 Daily Mirror 10 Dec. 16/1 Jumper suits in white, yellow, or what the Paris dressmakers call ‘off whites’ will see you through.

1937 Amer. Home Apr. 67/1 The dark woodwork, walls, and fireplace were painted an off-white.

1958 Vogue Oct. 163 Givenchy's barrelled and narrowing turn-coat, in pearl grey blanket wool reversing to off-white.

1988 Artist's & Illustrator's Mag. Feb. 33/3 Perversely, some of us prefer off-white.

B. adj.

1. Almost white.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > [adjective] > off-white

paper-whitec1430

sheep-hued?a1600

natural1854

ecru1869

natural-coloured1909

off-white1931

1931 Daily Express 18 Mar. 5/3 Fashionable colours are all off-white shades such as palest blues, greys, pinks, and greyish-greens.

1954 M. Procter Hell is City iii. ix. 120 The interrogation room..had white-tiled walls and an off-white ceiling.

1971 Nature 15 Jan. 175/2 It yielded about 200 mg of pure wildfire toxin as a fluffy, off-white powder.

1997 Shetland Times 21 Nov. 25/1 The off-white albino ferret with its red eyes is immediately recognisable.

2. British. In figurative use: not standard: not socially acceptable; lower-class. Also, of a worker or occupation: not manual, but not quite ‘white collar’. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > [adjective] > of doubtful reputation

queer?a1513

questionable1788

equivocal1790

shy1849

dingy1855

demi-reputable1897

off-white1951

1951 H. Nicolson Diary 29 Aug. (1968) 208 I go to the B.B.C. to listen to recordings of King George's broadcasts. His voice is so like the present King's..it is what the B.B.C. would call ‘off-white’, meaning slightly cockney.

1962 Guardian 13 Apr. 1/7 Off-white-collar workers..are showing an unpatriotic reluctance to subsidise richer men's meals.

1962 M. Allingham China Governess (1963) iii. 51 I can be as ‘off-white’ as I like. I've no code to live up to.

1969 P. Y. Carter Mr. Campion's Farthing ii. 9 A very slight off-white accent... A suggestion of the lower orders.

1994 Hist. Today (Nexis) 44 10 Seeking out elusive copies [of comic books] from London's East End street markets [in the 1950s], one anti-comic-book campaigner confessed that ‘I put on an off-white accent and an old coat before I won the vendor's confidence’.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	off-white
释义	off-whiten.adj. Brit. /ˌɒfˈwʌɪt/, U.S. /ˈɔfˈ(h)waɪt/, /ˈɑfˈ(h)waɪt/ Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: off- prefix, white n. Etymology: < off- prefix + white n. A. n. A colour very close to white, frequently having a grey or yellow tinge. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > [noun] > off-white or dirty white sheep's-colour1551 whey-colour1662 sullied white1681 crash1927 off-white1927 natural1930 1927 Daily Mirror 10 Dec. 16/1 Jumper suits in white, yellow, or what the Paris dressmakers call ‘off whites’ will see you through. 1937 Amer. Home Apr. 67/1 The dark woodwork, walls, and fireplace were painted an off-white. 1958 Vogue Oct. 163 Givenchy's barrelled and narrowing turn-coat, in pearl grey blanket wool reversing to off-white. 1988 Artist's & Illustrator's Mag. Feb. 33/3 Perversely, some of us prefer off-white. B. adj. 1. Almost white. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > colour > named colours > white or whiteness > [adjective] > off-white paper-whitec1430 sheep-hued?a1600 natural1854 ecru1869 natural-coloured1909 off-white1931 1931 Daily Express 18 Mar. 5/3 Fashionable colours are all off-white shades such as palest blues, greys, pinks, and greyish-greens. 1954 M. Procter Hell is City iii. ix. 120 The interrogation room..had white-tiled walls and an off-white ceiling. 1971 Nature 15 Jan. 175/2 It yielded about 200 mg of pure wildfire toxin as a fluffy, off-white powder. 1997 Shetland Times 21 Nov. 25/1 The off-white albino ferret with its red eyes is immediately recognisable. 2. British. In figurative use: not standard: not socially acceptable; lower-class. Also, of a worker or occupation: not manual, but not quite ‘white collar’. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrepute > [adjective] > of doubtful reputation queer?a1513 questionable1788 equivocal1790 shy1849 dingy1855 demi-reputable1897 off-white1951 1951 H. Nicolson Diary 29 Aug. (1968) 208 I go to the B.B.C. to listen to recordings of King George's broadcasts. His voice is so like the present King's..it is what the B.B.C. would call ‘off-white’, meaning slightly cockney. 1962 Guardian 13 Apr. 1/7 Off-white-collar workers..are showing an unpatriotic reluctance to subsidise richer men's meals. 1962 M. Allingham China Governess (1963) iii. 51 I can be as ‘off-white’ as I like. I've no code to live up to. 1969 P. Y. Carter Mr. Campion's Farthing ii. 9 A very slight off-white accent... A suggestion of the lower orders. 1994 Hist. Today (Nexis) 44 10 Seeking out elusive copies [of comic books] from London's East End street markets [in the 1950s], one anti-comic-book campaigner confessed that ‘I put on an off-white accent and an old coat before I won the vendor's confidence’. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.adj.1927
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