You've probably heard the phrase “off the cuff” as shorthand for something spontaneous and unrehearsed. And you might also know that it stems from the pre-twentieth-century practice of performers jotting lines on their shirt cuffs that provided discreet white spaces for perfunctory notes.

What are off the cuff comments?

An off-the-cuff remark is made without being prepared or thought about in advance. I didn't mean any offence. It was a flippant, off-the-cuff remark.

What does the phrase on the cuff mean?

On credit, as in He tried to hire a detective on the cuff. It is sometimes put as put on the cuff, meaning “extend credit to,” as in They asked to be put on the cuff until they got their monthly check. This usage probably alludes to the practice of recording bar tabs on the bartender's cuff.

What does the saying off the cuff mean?

: not prepared in advance : spontaneous, informal off-the-cuff remarks.

Where did the term off the cuff come from?

1 Answer. Off the cuff "extemporaneously" is 1938 American English colloquial, suggesting an actor or speaker reading from notes jotted on his shirt sleeves rather than learned lines. It's fairly common for students today to write notes on their hands or wrists.

Idiom Origins | Off the Cuff

Is off the cuff slang?

If you speak off the cuff, you say something without having prepared or thought about your words first: I hadn't prepared a speech so I just said a few words off the cuff.

What does cut the mustard come from?

The first recorded use of the phrase is by O Henry in 1907, in a story called The Heart of the West: “I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard”. The modern sense of the idiom is “to succeed; to have the ability to do something; to come up to expectations”.

What's the word for speaking off the cuff?

In this page you can discover 21 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for off-the-cuff, like: ad-lib, extemporaneously, impromptu, by-ear, improvised, makeshift, off the hip, off-the-top-of-one-s-head, offhand, spur-of-the-moment and unrehearsed.

What is the meaning of to make clean breast of?

: to speak openly and honestly about (something that previously has been lied about or kept secret) I decided to make a clean breast of it/things and admit that I was to blame.

What is the meaning of idiom full of beans?

informal. 1 : full of energy and life We were young and full of beans. 2 US : not correct or truthful : full of nonsense If that's what he's been saying, then he's full of beans.

What does a steak on the cuff mean?

With the expectation, promise, or obligation that payment will be given in the future. ... Without payment being necessary; for free.

What is the meaning of the phrase pull up your socks?

The pull your socks up meaning encourages one to get up and achieve something, try extra hard to do it if you really have to. Get out of bed if you are in the military, get a higher score than your cricket team or even just pass that test. Put some effort in and pull your socks up.

What does the phrase beyond the veil mean?

phrase. In a mysterious or hidden place or state, especially the unknown state of life after death. 'Billy realized that his father had passed irrevocably beyond the veil'

Does not Hold Water meaning?

phrase. If an argument or theory does not hold water, it does not seem to be reasonable or be in accordance with the facts. This argument simply cannot hold water in Europe. Synonyms: be sound, work, stand up, be convincing More Synonyms of hold water.

What does picking holes mean?

to try and make an idea or piece of work seem bad by finding all the things that are wrong or missing. It was almost impossible to pick holes in his argument. Synonyms and related words. To criticize, accuse or blame.

What does play the second fiddle mean?

: one that plays a supporting or subservient role.

What does the phrase have an ax to grind mean?

A selfish aim or motive, as in The article criticized the new software, but the author had an ax to grind, as its manufacturer had fired his son. This frequently used idiom comes from a story by Charles Miner, published in 1811, about a boy who was flattered into turning the grindstone for a man sharpening his ax.

What is add lib?

: to make up something and especially music or spoken lines during a performance : improvise. ad-lib. adjective.

What is talking through one's hat?

Talk nonsense; also, hold forth about something one knows very little about. For example, He was talking through his hat when he described the shipwreck, or Mother went on and on about various screwdrivers but in fact she was talking through her hat.

What does out of pocket mean in text?

People have been asking about the "unavailable" meaning of "out of pocket" for decades, but there's also an "inappropriate" meaning that is spreading. ... Being out of pocket means being unavailable or unreachable. Out-of-pocket behavior is doing or saying something inappropriate.

What does I won't touch him with a bargepole mean?

phrase. If you say that you wouldn't touch something with a barge pole, you mean that you would not want to have anything to do with it, either because you do not trust it, or because you do not like it. [British, informal]regional note: in AM, use wouldn't touch something with a ten-foot pole.

What does FAT CITY mean slang?

US slang. : a very comfortable condition or situation in life He thinks he's going to win the lottery, and then he'll be in fat city.

Who coined the phrase close but no cigar?

You might remember the famous line from the film Annie Oakley, “Close, Colonel, but no cigar!”

Is off the cuff one word?

with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.

What does gone off the grid mean?

What's required to go off-grid? Going off-grid means completely disconnecting your home from the national energy grid, and relying solely on the energy generated from your household solar and battery storage system.