offhandˈedly adverb

offhandˈedness noun

offhand grinding noun (engineering)

Grinding in which the tool, eg a grinding wheel, is held in the hand and worked freely

offˈ-job adjective

Outside normal work duties and conditions

offˈ-job training or offˈ-the-job training noun

The part of a training course that a trainee follows away from the workplace at a college, etc, eg one day a week

off-keyˈ adjective and adverb

1. Out of tune (lit and figurative)
2. Conflicting, jarring, discordant

offˈ-label adjective (US)

(of a prescription drug) used to treat a condition for which the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it (also adverb)

offˈ-licence noun

1. A shop with a licence to sell alcoholic liquors for consumption off the premises only
2. Such a licence

offˈ-limˈits adjective

Prohibited, out of bounds

offˈline or offˈ-line adjective and adverb (computing)

1. Not under the direct control of the central processing unit
2. Not connected, switched off

offˈload transitive verb and intransitive verb (orig S Afr)

1. To unload
2. To get rid of (something unwanted) by passing to someone else (with onto)
3. To pass (the ball) to a teammate just as one is tackled (rugby)

off-messˈage adverb and adjective (politics)

Not following the approved party line

off-off-Broadway see off-Broadway above.

offˈpeak adjective

1. Not at the time of highest demand
2. Relating to times of the day when television or radio audiences are smaller, advertising rates for these times being lower, opp to peak time

offˈ-piste adjective

Of or relating to skiing on new snow-surfaces, not on established tracks or runs

offˈ-plan adjective

Relating to a home, etc bought before (completion of) building on the basis of plans seen, or to the buyer of such a property

offˈprint noun

A reprint of a single article from a periodical

offˈput noun (Scot)

The act of putting off (in any sense)

offˈ-putter noun

offˈ-putting noun

An act of putting off

adjective

1. That puts off
2. Disconcerting
3. Causing disinclination or aversion

offˈ-puttingly adverb

offˈ-ramp noun (chiefly N American)

An exit road from a main thoroughfare

off-reckˈoning noun

1. (usu in pl) a deduction
2. An account between army officers and governments concerning the men's clothes, etc (obsolete)

offˈ-road adjective

1. Of or relating to paths, tracks, etc, as opposed to roads
2. Of or relating to vehicles, etc designed to operate away from roads

off-roadˈer noun

An off-road vehicle

off-roadˈing noun

The practice of driving over rough terrain in specially designed vehicles, esp as a sport

offˈsaddle transitive verb and intransitive verb

To unsaddle

off-salesˈ noun (S Afr)

A shop where alcoholic drinks can be bought for consumption elsewhere

offˈscouring noun

1. (usu in pl) matter scoured off
2. Refuse
3. Anything vile or despised

offˈscum noun

Scum, refuse

offˈseason noun, adjective and adverb

(of or at) a time (for eg a holiday) other than the most popular and busy

offˈset noun

1. A thing set off against another as equivalent or compensation
2. A lateral shoot that strikes root and forms a new plant
3. A mountain spur
4. A side branch of anything
5. A sudden change of direction in a pipe
6. A reduction of thickness or the (usu sloping) ledge formed where part of a wall, buttress, bank, etc, is set back from the general face
7. A hillside terrace (US)
8. A smudge on a newly printed sheet from another laid on it
9. Offset printing
10. In surveying, a perpendicular from the main line to an outlying point
11. A small deviation of voltage or current (elec)

adjective

Set at an angle to the main alignment

transitive verb /of-setˈ or ofˈset/

1. To set off against something as an equivalent or compensation
2. To print using an offset process
3. To construct an offset in a wall, etc

intransitive verb

1. To branch off
2. /ofˈset/ to make an effort

offsetˈable (or /ofˈ/) adjective

offset printing, offset lithography or offset-litho printing noun

A method of printing lithographs, etc, by first taking an impression from a plate on a rubber cylinder and then transferring the impression to paper or metal, etc, using oil-based ink

off-shakeˈ transitive verb (pap (Spenser) off-shaktˈ)

To shake off

offˈshoot noun

A branch or derivative of anything

offshoreˈ adverb

1. From the shore
2. At a distance from the shore
3. Abroad

adjective /ofˈshōr or -shör/

1. Placed or operating abroad
2. Sited or operating outside the restrictions of British law and tax

transitive verb and intransitive verb /ofˈshōr or -shör/

(of a business enterprise) to transfer (work, jobs, etc) to another country, usu one where workers can be paid a lower wage

offshore purchase noun

A purchase by one country in another

offˈside noun

1. The far side
2. A horse's or vehicle's right, towards the middle of the road
3. That half of a cricket field on the opposite side to that on which the batsman stands when waiting to receive the ball, separated from the legside by an imaginary line drawn from wicket to wicket
4. /of-sīdˈ/ an instance of a player standing illegally between the ball and the opponents' goal (football, etc)

adjective and adverb /of-sīdˈ/

1. On the offside
2. Between the ball, or the last player who had it, and the opponents' goal
3. In American football, over the line of scrimmage or free-kick line when the ball is snapped

offsīdˈer noun (Aust informal)

A subordinate or sidekick

offˈ-site adjective and adverb

(working, happening, etc) away from a working site, etc

offˈ-sorts plural noun

Wool set aside in sorting, or unsuitable for a given purpose

off spin noun (cricket)

Spin imparted to a ball to cause an off break

offˈ-spin adjective

off spinner noun (cricket)

Someone who bowls off breaks

offˈspring noun

1. A child or children
2. Progeny
3. Issue
4. Ancestry (obsolete)
5. Source (obsolete)

offˈ-stage adjective and adverb

Not on the stage as visible to the spectators

offˈ-stream adjective and adverb

(of an industrial plant, etc) not in operation or production

offˈ-street adjective

(of parking) in a car park

offˈtake noun

1. The act of taking off in any sense
2. A take-off
3. That which is taken off
4. A channel, passage, or pipe for removing a fluid

off-the-peg see under peg

off-the-shelf see under shelf

offˈ-white adjective

Not quite white, rather, yellowish or greyish white

noun

A colour, paint, etc, that is off-white

a bit off (informal)

(of behaviour, etc) unfair or unacceptable

badly off

Not well-off, poor

be off

To go away quickly (as a command, also be off with you)

break off and come off see under break¹ and come

from off

From a position on

go off and go off with see under go¹

go off on one (slang)

To lose one’s temper

ill off

Poor or ill provided

in the offing

1. In sight or at hand
2. Expected, or likely to take place, shortly

make off and make off with see under make¹

off and on

Occasionally, intermittently

off beam or off the beam see under beam or see off-beam above.

off duty see under duty

off line same as offline above.

off one's oats, feed, head, rocker or trolley see under oat, feed¹, head, rock² and trolley¹

off the charts see under chart

off the cuff see under cuff¹

off the face or shoulder

(of a woman's hat, dress, etc) so as to reveal the face or shoulder

off the peg see under peg

off the wall (orig US)

See under wall

off with

Take off at once

put off, show off or take off see under put¹, show and take

tell off see under tell¹

walk off and walk off with see under walk¹

well-off

1. Rich, well-provided
2. Fortunate