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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

He’s quick with ripostes, righteous in off-the-cuff remarks and has a do-gooder aura that never comes off as sanctimonious.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

With most of the decisions already made, the Two Sessions are mainly a talking shop with little room for spontaneity or off-the-cuff comments.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

Besides, there’s ample evidence that unvarnished, off-the-cuff statements can hurt musicians more than they help.

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2026

His work, like his life, seemed like a running improvisation, and the prose work that became “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” offers a nod to the author’s off-the-cuff sensibility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025

We’ve all witnessed with embarrassment the off-the-cuff speaker crashing and burning at a wedding, or the panicky TV presenter “drying” on air.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

“Opinion polls are people kind of giving their off the cuff thoughts, but this is about people putting a little bit of money on the line,” Yadav told Salon.

From Salon ● May 24, 2026

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

The name came up once, off the cuff, and stuck.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 3, 2026

The most effective off- the-cuff speeches are premeditated, and the best premeditated speeches appear off the cuff.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith