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Glite Dictionary
to bully off

to bully off

9.8
A way to start or restart play in field hockey where two players try to get the ball
  • phrasal verb
  • Archaic
translation icon : sacar el balón
  • The referee signaled for the teams to bully off at the start of the match.

Examples

  • After the first goal, the players gathered to bully off again in the center of the field.

  • He skillfully bullied off, quickly gaining control of the ball for his team.

  • The referee will bully off the match at 3 PM!

  • Can you bully off the game for us?

  • The referee signaled for the teams to bully off at the start of the match.

  • After the first goal, the players gathered to bully off again in the center of the field.

  • The referee will bully off the match at 3 PM!

Synonyms

to face off
vsto bully off
36 5.7

To begin play with two players trying to win the puck or ball when the referee drops it

is used in field hockey to restart play with two players contesting possession

Antonyms

stopped play
1 4.3

A pause in a game because of bad weather or other events

Surface Forms

bully off infinitive
bullied off past
bullied off past participle
bullying off present participle
bullies off third person singular

Morphology

bully + off

This is a sport-specific jargon: the sense 'to start or restart play by a face-off' cannot be derived from the common meanings of the parts — 'bully' (not given in the dictionary here, and otherwise meaning to intimidate) plus 'off' (away/cancel). A B1 learner who knows the literal constituents would not predict the specialized face-off sense, so the expression is opaque to learners without prior exposure.

Etymology

Bully off may come from the image of two players pushing for the ball like a small fight. With bully meaning 'push or fight' and off meaning 'start', the phrase came to mean 'to start play by competing for the ball'.