haul off

British  

verb

1. informal (foll by and) to draw back in preparation (esp to strike or fight)

   I hauled off and slugged him

2. nautical to alter the course of a vessel so as to avoid an obstruction, shallow waters, etc

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haul off Idioms  

1. Draw back slightly, in preparation for some action. For example, He hauled off and smacked his brother in the face . [c. 1800]

2. Also, haul out . Shift operations to a new place, move away. For example, The group gradually hauled off to the West Coast , or The train hauled out just as I arrived . [Second half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

The Basque manager rotated his pack heavily, to the chagrin of players like Vinicius Junior, who was benched on several occasions and hauled off early on others.

From Barron's

Mainoo was hauled off in the second half after a lacklustre display that did little to rebuke Amorim's decision to ignore him for much of this season.

From Barron's

Alexander Isak was hauled off in the second half of his fourth league start for Liverpool following a British record move from Newcastle that has failed to live up to the hype.

From Barron's

The forward was left out of the starting line-up in the recent Champions League defeat at Galatasaray and, starkly, was hauled off on Sunday even as Liverpool chased an equaliser.

From Barron's

They were arrested there, and hauled off to a hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's main city, effectively ending the five-month conflict.

From BBC