off the air

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Not being broadcast, as in Once they knew they were off the air, the panelists burst out laughing. This idiom, along with the antonym on the air (“being broadcast”), dates from the 1920s, air being considered a medium for radio-wave transmission.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

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Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

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Words nearby off the air

offspring, offstage, off-street, off stump, offtake, off the air, off the beam, off the beaten track, off-the-board, off-the-books, off-the-cuff

How to use off the air in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sands was involved in a scandalous-for-the-time romance with the carpenter and there were rumors she was pregnant with his child.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion|Nina Strochlic|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Although the blood-spattered offices will be off-limits, staff have vowed to continue producing the magazine.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Three on-the-record stories from a family: a mother and her daughters who came from Phoenix.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

A passing off-duty school safety officer named Fred Lucas said that he had been told the man was a drug dealer.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Bells were pealing and tolling in all directions, and the air was filled with the sound of distant shouts and cries.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
It is to be remembered, however, that a few of these bacteria may reach the sputum from the upper air-passages.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
We had now approached closely to the foot of the mountain-ranges, and their lofty summits were high above us in mid-air.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
He stood, with the air of a hero, both arms extended towards the amazed pair of lovers.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke