peel-off

[peel-awf, -of]

adjective

1. designed to be peeled off from a backing or large sheet, usually of paper, before use; readied for use by peeling off.

   peel-off labels.

peel off

verb

1. to remove or be removed by peeling

2. slang,  (intr) to undress

3. (intr) (of an aircraft) to turn away as by banking, and leave a formation

4. slang,  to go away or cause to go away

Word History and Origins

Origin of peel off¹

First recorded in 1935–40; adj. use of verb phrase peel off

Idioms and Phrases

Remove an outer layer of skin, bark, paint, or the like; also, come off in thin strips or pieces. For example, Peeling off birch bark can kill the tree , or Paint was peeling off the walls . [Late 1500s]

Remove or separate, as in Helen peeled off her gloves and got to work , or Al peeled off a ten-dollar bill and gave it to the driver . [First half of 1900s]

Also, peel away . Depart from a group, as in Ruth peeled off from the pack of runners and went down a back road . This expression originated in air force jargon during World War II and was used for an airplane or pilot that left flight formation, a sight that suggested the peeling of skin from a banana.