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off the cuff (idea)
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(
idea
)
by
Withnail
Mon Feb 11 2002 at 20:22:30
The
phrase
"
off the cuff
" means "
impromptu
" or "without preparation" as in "She made an
off the cuff
remark".
The
etymology
of the
phrase
suggests two possible origins:
In the times when
gentlemans'
shirts
still had removable
collars
and
cuffs
,
after-dinner speakers
were in the habit of jotting down last minute notes on their
shirt cuffs
.
It is also suggested that
waiters
also used their
cuffs
when taking orders, but I find this less
plausible
- they would run out of space very quickly! In a similar
vein
, merchants in the
olden days
may have made
impromptu
transaction
records
on their
cuffs
: A casual, "cash" transaction may well have been kept "off the cuff".
on the fly
Losing Phil
Boiled shirt
ball gag