off-the-cuff
[ awf-th uh-kuhf, of- ]
/ ˈɔf ðəˈkʌf, ˈɒf- /
adjective
with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.
Origin of off-the-cuff
First recorded in 1940–45
Words nearby off-the-cuff
off-site,
off-speed,
off-street,
off-the-board,
off-the-books,
off-the-cuff,
off-the-face,
off-the-job,
off-the-peg,
off-the-rack,
off-the-record
Definition for off the cuff (2 of 2)
cuff
1
[ kuhf ]
/ kʌf /
noun
verb (used with object)
to make a cuff or cuffs on: to cuff a pair of trousers.
to put handcuffs on.
Origin of cuff
1
1350–1400; Middle English
cuffe mitten; perhaps akin to Old English
cuffie cap < Medieval Latin
cuphia
coif1
British Dictionary definitions for off the cuff (1 of 2)
cuff
1
/ (kʌf) /
noun
the part of a sleeve nearest the hand, sometimes turned back and decorative
the part of a gauntlet or glove that extends past the wrist
US, Canadian and Australian
the turned-up fold at the bottom of some trouser legs
Also called (in eg Britain): turn-up
off the cuff informal
improvised; extemporary
See also
cuffs
Word Origin for cuff
C14
cuffe glove, of obscure origin
British Dictionary definitions for off the cuff (2 of 2)
cuff
2
/ (kʌf) /
verb
(tr)
to strike with an open hand
noun
a blow of this kind
Word Origin for cuff
C16: of obscure origin
Medical definitions for off the cuff
cuff
[ kŭf ]
n.
A bandlike structure encircling a part.
An inflatable band, usually wrapped around the upper arm, that is used along with a sphygmomanometer in measuring arterial blood pressure.
Idioms and Phrases with off the cuff (1 of 2)
off the cuff
Impromptu, extemporaneous, as in His speech was entirely off the cuff. This term supposedly alludes to the practice of speakers making last-minute notes on the cuff of a shirtsleeve. [1930s]
Idioms and Phrases with off the cuff (2 of 2)
cuff
see off the cuff; on the cuff.