offal

American  

[aw-fuhl, of-uhl] / ˈɔ fəl, ˈɒf əl /

noun

1. the edible organs, or organ parts, of a butchered animal; organ meat.

   Our top three sellers in offal are beef kidney, liver, and tongue.

2. the parts of a butchered animal that are considered inedible by human beings; discarded viscera.

3. refuse; rubbish; garbage.

   Before the agent comes to appraise the house, let’s get someone to haul away all this offal in the backyard.

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offal British  

/ ˈɒfəl /

noun

1. the edible internal parts of an animal, such as the heart, liver, and tongue

2. dead or decomposing organic matter

3. refuse; rubbish

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Etymology

Origin of offal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English offal, offail, orfal “waste material, entrails,” equivalent to of off + fal fall; compare Dutch afval “waste”

Explanation

If you are into eating "all" of a butchered animal, then animal offal is your thing. In some cultures, the throat, heart, stomach, and brains of animals are considered offal delicacies. Bon appétit! The word offal comes from a combination of the words off and fall with the idea that anything that's considered offal has "fallen off" the butcher's block. Some people use these entrails and internal organs as food, although offal is also another name for “rubbish.” Offal isn’t that unusual — liver is a kind of offal, for example. In the case of offal, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

Example Sentences

He also ran a TV production company, Associated Rediffusion Productions, which has been behind programmes like TV Offal and Keith Meets... with stand-up Keith Allen for Channel 4.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2022

And Eater Seattle reports that a new restaurant called Off Alley, from the Fowl & Offal pop-up, is already set to move in.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2020

Offal The consumption of animals’ innards is explored in contemporary works by 44 local artists in this exhibit keyed to the city of Los Angeles’ upcoming public art triennial, “Current: LA Food.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2019

Offal culture Haggis producer Fraser MacGregor of Cockburn's in Dingwall says, "If it hasn't got lamb's lung, it isn't haggis."

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2010

Poor chap, he was still new to the customs of royalty; he was used to seeing the forlorn dead of Offal Court hustled out of the way with a very different sort of expedition.

From The Prince and the Pauper, Part 4. by Twain, Mark