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• peel-off
  peel-off

  adjective

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

  verb

  to remove or be removed by peeling

peel-off

American  

[peel-awf, -of] / ˈpilˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

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.

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peel off British  

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

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peel off Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

3. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of peel-off

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

Example Sentences

Peel off the top layer of parchment, and lightly rub or brush the top of the dough with the remaining teaspoon of oil.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2018

Peel off the next sheet and butter it, cover with another sheet and set aside.

From The Guardian • Oct. 25, 2017

Peel off the gloss and the CGI, and you'll see a horde of dead horses shambling towards you.

From The Guardian • Aug. 5, 2011

Peel off with your axe a stripe of bark as high as you can reach.

From Twenty-Seven Years in Canada West The Experience of an Early Settler (Volume I) by Strickland, Samuel

Peel off the skin, garnish with tufts of cauliflowers or Brussels sprouts, and serve.

From The Book of Household Management by Beeton, Mrs. (Isabella Mary)