off-the-cuff

[awf-thuh-kuhf, of-]

adjective

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of off the cuff¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

A love of off-the-cuff attacking rugby was one of the reasons behind her move from Saracens to Loughborough Lightning in 2020.

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There was some substance to the chancellor's off-the-cuff comments to me suggesting the forecasters stick to their primary role rather than giving a "running commentary on policy".

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We both love Pacino’s memoir, “Sonny Boy,” and we talk about how much we enjoyed listening to his off-the-cuff reading of it on the audiobook.

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The US president seems to prefer an off-the-cuff telephone conversation to a sit-down interview on camera.

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Read too much into an individual tweet, post or off-the-cuff comment by the US president, and the danger is that your conclusions will be contradicted by tomorrow's tweet, post or off-the-cuff comment.

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