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off-the-cuff

[ awf-thuh-kuhf, of- ]
/ ˈɔf ðəˈkʌf, ˈɒf- /
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See synonyms for off-the-cuff on Thesaurus.com
adjective
with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.
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Origin of off-the-cuff

First recorded in 1940–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to off-the-cuff

ad hoc, ad-lib, automatic, autoschediastic, by ear, casual, expedient, extemporary, extempore, fake, free, immediate, impromptu, improv, improvisatory, improvised, informal, jamming, made-up, makeshift

How to use off-the-cuff in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with 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]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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