off-the-cuff

[ awf-thuh-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

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cuff

cough cuff koph

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.