throw off

verb

1. to free oneself of; discard

2. to produce or utter in a casual manner

   to throw off a witty remark

3. to escape from or elude

   the fox rapidly threw off his pursuers

4. to confuse or disconcert

   the interruption threw the young pianist off

5. informal,  to deride or ridicule

Idioms and Phrases

Cast out, rid oneself of, as in He threw off all unpleasant memories and went to the reunion . [Early 1600s]

Give off, emit, as in The garbage was throwing off an awful smell . [First half of 1700s] Also see throw out , def. 1.

Also, . Distract, divert, or mislead, as in A mistaken estimate threw off her calculations , or These clues were designed to throw the detective off the scent . The variant comes from hunting, where the quarry may try to put pursuing hounds off the scent. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s. Also see off the track .

Perform in a quick, spontaneous, or casual manner, as in He threw off one sketch after another . [Mid-1700s]