tee off

verb

1. golf to strike (the ball) from a tee, as when starting a hole

2. informal,  to begin; start

Idioms and Phrases

Start or begin, as in We teed off the fundraising drive with a banquet . This usage is a metaphor taken from golf, where tee off means “start play by driving a golf ball from the tee.” [Second half of 1900s]

Make angry or irritated, as in That rude comment teed him off , or I was teed off because it rained all weekend . [ Slang ; mid-1900s] Also see tick off .

Related Words

• adopt 
• assume 
• commence 
• continue 
• embrace 
• enter 
• initiate 
• open 
• pick up 
• renew 
• reopen 
• resume 
• tackle 
• undertake