Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[off a duck’s back] See: LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK
[off-again, on-again] or [on-again, off-again]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not settled; changeable; uncertain. •/John and Susan had an off-again, on-again romance./ •/I don’t like this off-again, on-again business. Are we going to have the party or not?/
[off and on] also [on and off]{adv.} Not regularly; occasionally; sometimes. •/Joan wrote to a pen pal in England off and on for several years./ •/It rained off and on all day./ — Sometimes used with hyphens like an adjective. •/A worn-out cord may make a hearing aid work in an off-and-on way./ Compare: BY FITS AND STARTS, FROM TIME TO TIME, NOW AND THEN.
[off balance]{adj. phr.} 1. Not in balance; not able to stand up straight and not fall; not able to keep from turning over or falling; unsteady. •/Never stand up in a canoe; it will get off balance and turn over./ •/Paul was speeding along on his bicycle, when an unexpected hole in the road caught him off balance and he fell over./ 2. Not prepared; not ready; unable to meet something unexpected. •/Our quarterback kept the other team off balance by changing often from line plays to passes and tricky end runs./ •/The teacher’s surprise test caught the class off balance, and nearly everyone got a poor mark./
[off base]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not agreeing with fact; wrong. •/The idea that touching a toad causes warts is off base./ •/When Tom said that the teacher’s explanation did not agree with the book, the teacher was embarrassed at being caught off base./
[offbeat]{adj.}, {informal} Nonconventional; different from the usual; odd. •/Linguistics used to be an offbeat field, but nowadays every self-respecting university has a linguistics department./
[off center]{adv. phr.} Not exactly in the middle. •/Mary hung the picture off center, because it was more interesting that way./
[off-center]{adj.}, {informal} Different from the usual pattern; not quite like most others; odd. •/Roger’s sense of humor was a bit off-center./ Compare: OFF-KEY.
[off-color] or [off-colored]{adj.} 1. Not of the proper hue or shade; not matching a standard color sample. •/The librarian complained that the painter had used an off-color green on the walls./ 2. {informal} Not of the proper kind for polite society; in bad taste; dirty. •/When Joe finished his off-color story, no one was pleased./
[off day]{n. phr.} A period when one is not functioning at his or her best; a period of weakness. •/The champion was obviously having an off day; otherwise she would have been able to defeat her opponent./ Contrast: DAY OFF.
[off duty]{adj.} Not supposed to be at work; having free time; not working. •/Sailors like to go sight-seeing, when they are off duty in a foreign port./ •/It seems that all the taxis in New York are off duty whenever it rains./ — Often used with hyphens, before a noun. •/The bank robber was captured by an off-duty policeman./ Contrast: ON DUTY.
[off feed] or [off one’s feed]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not feeling well; lacking in vitality; droopy; moody. •/Mary was worried; her canary was off feed./ •/Jerry seemed to be off his feed; he did not joke and laugh with the others./
[off (one/he/she/it) goes!]{v. phr.} Said of a person, a vehicle, or a memorable thing who/which has started leaving or moving, both as a statement of fact (declarative assertion) or as a command (imperative). •/When the boat hit the water in the formal launching ceremony, they cried out simultaneously, "Off she goes!"/
[off guard]{adj.} In a careless attitude; not alert to coming danger; not watching. •/In the second that the boxer was off guard, his opponent landed a knockout punch./ •/Timmy s question caught Jean off guard, and she told him the secret before she knew it./ Contrast: ON GUARD.
[offhand]{adj.} 1. Informal; casual; careless. •/Dick found Bob’s offhand manner inappropriate for business./ 2. In an improvised fashion. •/Offhand, I would guess that at least five thousand people attended the festival./
[off in a flash] See: IN A FLASH.
[off-key]{adj.}, {informal} 1. Not proper; queer. •/When George told jokes at the funeral, everyone thought his action was off-key./ 2. In a false key. •/John always sings off-key./ Compare: OUT OF LINE.
[off limits] See: OUT OF BOUNDS.
[off one’s back]{adj. phr.} 1. {informal} Stopped from bothering one; removed as an annoyance or pest. •/"Having a kid brother always following me is a nuisance," Mary told her mother. "Can’t you get him off my back?"/ •/The singer was so popular with teenagers that he took a secret vacation, to keep them off his back./ Contrast: ON ONE’S BACK(2). See: GIVE THE SHIRT OFF ONE’S BACK.
[off one’s chest]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Told to someone and so not bothering you anymore; not making you feel worried or upset, because you have talked about it. •/After Dave told the principal that he had cheated on the test, he was glad because it was off his chest./ •/Father felt that Tom wasn’t helping enough around the house, so he got it off his chest by giving Tom a list of things to do./ Compare: MAKE A CLEAN BREAST OF. Contrast: ON ONE’S CHEST.
[off one’s feet] See: KNOCK OFF ONE’S FEET, SWEEP OFF ONE’S FEET.
[off one’s hands]{adv. phr.} No longer in your care or possession. •/Ginny was glad to have the sick dog taken off her hands by the doctor./ Contrast: ON ONE’S HANDS.
[off one’s head]{adj. phr.} Crazy; mad. •/We had no doubt that the old man was off his head when we saw him jumping into the lake with his winter coat on./