Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Off \Off\, adv. [OE. of, orig. the same word as R. of, prep.,
   AS. of, adv. & prep. [root]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. ``A live coal . . . taken with the
      tongs from off the altar.'' --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.

[Colloq.]

      An English tradesman is always solicitous to cut the shop
      whenever he can do so with impunity.        --Thomas
                                                  Hamilton.

   {To cut a caper}. See under {Caper}.

   {To cut the cards}, to divide a pack of cards into portions,
      in order to determine the deal or the trump, or to change
      the cards to be dealt.

   {To cut a dash} or {a figure}, to make a display. [Colloq.]
      

   {To cut down}.
      (a) To sever and cause to fall; to fell; to prostrate.
          ``Timber . . . cut down in the mountains of Cilicia.''
          --Knolles.
      (b) To put down; to abash; to humble. [Obs] ``So great is
          his natural eloquence, that he cuts doun the finest
          orator.'' --Addison
      (c) To lessen; to retrench; to curtail; as, to cut down
          expenses.
      (d) (Naut.) To raze; as, to cut down a frigate into a
          sloop.

   {To cut the knot} or {the Gordian knot}, to dispose of a
      difficulty summarily; to solve it by prompt, arbitrary
      action, rather than by skill or patience.

   {To cut lots}, to determine lots by cuttings cards; to draw
      lots.

   {To cut off}.
      (a) To sever; to separate.

                I would to God, . . . The king had cut off my
                brother's.                        --Shak.
      (b) To put an untimely death; to put an end to; to
          destroy. ``Iren[ae]us was likewise cut off by
          martyrdom.'' --Addison.
      (c) To interrupt; as, to cut off communication; to cut off
          (the flow of) steam from (the boiler to) a steam
          engine.
      (d) To intercept; as,, to cut off an enemy's retreat.
      (e) To end; to finish; as, to cut off further debate.

   {To cut out}.
      (a) To remove by cutting or carving; as, to cut out a
          piece from a board.
      (b) To shape or form by cutting; as, to cut out a garment.
          `` A large forest cut out into walks.'' --Addison.
      (c) To scheme; to contrive; to prepare; as, to cut out
          work for another day. ``Every man had cut out a place
          for himself.'' --Addison.
      (d) To step in and take the place of; to supplant; as, to
          cut out a rival. [Colloq.]
      (e) To debar. ``I am cut out from anything but common
          acknowledgments.'' --Pope.
      (f) To seize and carry off (a vessel) from a harbor, or
          from under the guns of an enemy.

   {To cut to pieces}.
      (a) To cut into pieces; as, to cut cloth to pieces.
      (b) To slaughter; as, to cut an army to pieces.

   {To cut a play} (Drama), to shorten it by leaving out
      passages, to adapt it for the stage.

   {To cut rates} (Railroads, etc.), to reduce the charges for
      transportation below the rates established between
      competing lines.

   {To cut short}, to arrest or check abruptly; to bring to a
      sudden termination. ``Achilles cut him short, and thus
      replied.'' --Dryden.

   {To cut stick}, to make off clandestinely or precipitately.
      [Slang]

   {To cut teeth}, to put forth teeth; to have the teeth pierce
      through the gum and appear.

   {To have cut one's eyeteeth}, to be sharp and knowing.
      [Colloq.]

   {To cut one's wisdom teeth}, to come to years of discretion.
      

   {To cut under}, to undersell; as, to cut under a competitor
      in trade.

   {To cut up}.
      (a) To cut to pieces; as, to cut up an animal, or bushes.
      (b) To damage or destroy; to injure; to wound; as, to cut
          up a book or its author by severe criticism. ``This
          doctrine cuts up all government by the roots.''
          --Locke.
      (c) To afflict; to discourage; to demoralize; as, the
          death of his friend cut him up terribly. [Colloq.]
          --Thackeray.