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• off-the-cuff
  off-the-cuff

  adjective

  with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu.
• off the cuff
  off the cuff

  Impromptu, extemporaneous, as in His speech was entirely off the cuff. This term supposedly alludes to the practice of speakers making last-minute notes on the cuff of a shirtsleeve. [1930s]

off-the-cuff

American  

[awf-thuh-kuhf, of-] / ˈɔf ðəˈkʌf, ˈɒf- /

adjective

1. with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu.

   a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.

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off the cuff Idioms  

1. Impromptu, extemporaneous, as in His speech was entirely off the cuff. This term supposedly alludes to the practice of speakers making last-minute notes on the cuff of a shirtsleeve. [1930s]

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Etymology

Origin of off-the-cuff

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off-the-cuff off the cuff

One thing was obvious: award show producers took great strides to prevent that type of off-the-cuff moment involving comedians from ever happening again.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Musician Dougie Breslin, a regular Sunday night performer at the Derry bar, captured the off-the-cuff performance on video ahead of a gig of his own.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2026

Delivering off-the-cuff banter in reaction to news of the moment — a requirement for morning TV news — was not his strong suit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

"We need more AI immigrants to help us on manufacturing floors and do work that maybe we've decided not to do anymore," said Huang, whose off-the-cuff remarks have become a popular CES tradition.

From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026

They’re fighting for control of our psychic selves; the empathy box on one hand, Buster’s guffaws and off-the-cuff jibes on the other.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt suddenly announced it at the 1943 Casablanca conference as an aim of the World War II Allies, he did so off the cuff.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 12, 2026

“I teach pretty off the cuff, and my lectures are critical, so I’m also very tuned in to making sure I’m not getting recorded.”

From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026

When he speaks off the cuff it’s a gamble—he doesn’t know what he’s going to say either!—and gambles are exciting and diverting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

"That was totally off the cuff," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025

If Ms. Oliver’s account is to be believed—and we’ve no reason not to believe it—this was a pretty remarkable speech for anyone to deliver off the cuff.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith