off-the-cuff
[ awf-th uh-kuhf, of- ]
/ ˈɔf ðəˈkʌf, ˈɒf- /
adjective
with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.
RELATED CONTENT
How Do I Write … To Kill Off A Character?If you're a fiction writer, you know this feeling well: you're toiling away at your story, charting out your plot and reaching pivotal points that will no doubt choke up your readers, when you come to the realization that it's time for one of your characters to sing their swan song. But how are you going to kill them off?
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
off-site, off-speed, off-street, off-the-board, off-the-books, off-the-cuff, off-the-face, off-the-job, off-the-peg, off-the-rack, off-the-record
Origin of off-the-cuff
First recorded in 1940–45
Definition for off the cuff (2 of 2)
cuff
1[ kuhf ]
/ kʌf /
noun
verb (used with object)
to make a cuff or cuffs on: to cuff a pair of trousers.
to put handcuffs on.
Origin of cuff
11350–1400; Middle English cuffe mitten; perhaps akin to Old English cuffie cap < Medieval Latin cuphia coif1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for off the cuff (1 of 2)
cuff
1/ (kʌf) /
noun
the part of a sleeve nearest the hand, sometimes turned back and decorative
the part of a gauntlet or glove that extends past the wrist
US, Canadian and Australian the turned-up fold at the bottom of some trouser legsAlso called (in eg Britain): turn-up
off the cuff informal improvised; extemporary
See also cuffs
Word Origin for cuff
C14 cuffe glove, of obscure origin
British Dictionary definitions for off the cuff (2 of 2)
cuff
2/ (kʌf) /
verb
(tr) to strike with an open hand
noun
a blow of this kind
Word Origin for cuff
C16: of obscure origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for off the cuff
cuff
[ kŭf ]
n.
A bandlike structure encircling a part.
An inflatable band, usually wrapped around the upper arm, that is used along with a sphygmomanometer in measuring arterial blood pressure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with off the cuff (1 of 2)
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]
Idioms and Phrases with off the cuff (2 of 2)
cuff
see off the cuff; on the cuff.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.