to be off : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: to be off	by the DICT Development Group
1 result for to be off
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Off \Off\, adv. [OE. of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep., AS. of, adv. & prep. [fb]194. See {Of}.] In a general sense, denoting from or away from; as: 1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile off. 2. Denoting the action of removing or separating; separation; as, to take off the hat or cloak; to cut off, to pare off, to clip off, to peel off, to tear off, to march off, to fly off, and the like. 3. Denoting a leaving, abandonment, departure, abatement, interruption, or remission; as, the fever goes off; the pain goes off; the game is off; all bets are off. 4. Denoting a different direction; not on or towards: away; as, to look off. 5. Denoting opposition or negation. [Obs.] The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on. --Bp. Sanderson. {From off}, off from; off. [bd]A live coal . . . taken with the tongs from off the altar.[b8] --Is. vi. 6. {Off and on}. (a) Not constantly; not regularly; now and then; occasionally. (b) (Naut.) On different tacks, now toward, and now away from, the land. {To be off}. (a) To depart; to escape; as, he was off without a moment's warning. (b) To be abandoned, as an agreement or purpose; as, the bet was declared to be off. [Colloq.] {To come off}, {To cut off}, {To fall off}, {To go off}, etc. See under {Come}, {Cut}, {Fall}, {Go}, etc. {To get off}. (a) To utter; to discharge; as, to get off a joke. (b) To go away; to escape; as, to get off easily from a trial. [Colloq.] {To take off}, to mimic or personate.