The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Off \Off\ ([o^]f; 115), 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:
[1913 Webster]
1. Denoting distance or separation; as, the house is a mile
off.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
4. Denoting a different direction; not on or towards: away;
as, to look off.
[1913 Webster]
5. Denoting opposition or negation. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either
off or on. --Bp.
Sanderson.
[1913 Webster]
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 do a take-off on, To take off, to mimic,
lampoon, or impersonate.
To tell off
(a) (Mil.), to divide and practice a regiment or company
in the several formations, preparatory to marching to
the general parade for field exercises. --Farrow.
(b) to rebuke (a person) for an improper action; to scold;
to reprimand.
To be well off, to be in good condition.
To be ill off, To be badly off, to be in poor condition.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Cut \Cut\ (k[u^]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cut; p. pr. & vb. n.
Cutting.] [OE. cutten, kitten, ketten; prob. of Celtic
origin; cf. W. cwtau to shorten, curtail, dock, cwta
bobtailed, cwt tail, skirt, Gael. cutaich to shorten,
curtail, dock, cutach short, docked, cut a bobtail, piece,
Ir. cut a short tail, cutach bobtailed. Cf. Coot.]
1. To separate the parts of with, or as with, a sharp
instrument; to make an incision in; to gash; to sever; to
divide.
[1913 Webster]
You must cut this flesh from off his breast. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Before the whistling winds the vessels fly,
With rapid swiftness cut the liquid way. --Pope.
[1913 Webster]
2. To sever and cause to fall for the purpose of gathering;
to hew; to mow or reap.
[1913 Webster]
Thy servants can skill to cut timer. --2. Chron.
ii. 8
[1913 Webster]
3. To sever and remove by cutting; to cut off; to dock; as,
to cut the hair; to cut the nails.
[1913 Webster]
4. To castrate or geld; as, to cut a horse.
[1913 Webster]
5. To form or shape by cutting; to make by incision, hewing,
etc.; to carve; to hew out.
[1913 Webster]
Why should a man. whose blood is warm within,
Sit like his grandsire cut in alabaster? --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Loopholes cut through thickest shade. --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
6. To wound or hurt deeply the sensibilities of; to pierce;
to lacerate; as, sarcasm cuts to the quick.
[1913 Webster]
The man was cut to the heart. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
7. To intersect; to cross; as, one line cuts another at right
angles.
[1913 Webster]
8. To refuse to recognize; to ignore; as, to cut a person in
the street; to cut one's acquaintance. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
9. To absent one's self from; as, to cut an appointment, a
recitation. etc. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
An English tradesman is always solicitous to cut the
shop whenever he can do so with impunity. --Thomas
Hamilton.
[1913 Webster]
10. (Cricket) To deflect (a bowled ball) to the off, with a
chopping movement of the bat.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
11. (Billiards, etc.) To drive (an object ball) to either
side by hitting it fine on the other side with the cue
ball or another object ball.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
12. (Lawn Tennis, etc.) To strike (a ball) with the racket
inclined or struck across the ball so as to put a certain
spin on the ball.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
13. (Croquet) To drive (a ball) to one side by hitting with
another ball.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
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 both ways, to have effects both advantageous and
disadvantageous.
To cut corners, to deliberately do an incomplete or
imperfect job in order to save time or money.
To cut a dash or To cut a figure, to make a display of
oneself; to give a conspicuous impression. [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 down 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 To cut 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.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
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.
(g) to separate from the midst of a number; as, to cut
out a steer from a herd; to cut out a car from a
train.
(h) to discontinue; as, to cut out smoking.
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; more commonly referred to as undercut.
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.
[1913 Webster +PJC]