to duck off
- phrasal verb
- /dʌk ɔf/
- Offensive
:
escabullirse
- When the meeting got heated, she chose to duck off quietly rather than cause a scene.
Examples
-
He decided to duck off from the party early to avoid the awkward conversations.
-
And all I know is he ducked off in there and he said, yeah, we was all standing together.
-
Feeling uncomfortable, he made a quick decision to duck off before anyone noticed.
Synonyms
709
1.0
To leave a place or person and go somewhere else
632
3.5
Leave a person, place, or situation without taking part anymore
273
3.2
To leave a place quickly, often to travel somewhere else
260
3.7
To leave a place or person suddenly, often without saying goodbye
37
3.5
To leave a place suddenly to show you are angry or upset
33
4.0
Leave a place quietly so others do not notice
20
3.8
Leave suddenly because you are in a hurry
14
6.8
Leave a place or start a journey
12
7.7
Leave a place quickly, often in a rude way
12
8.4
To tell someone to go away right away in a rude or angry way
12
9.9
Tell someone to go away immediately in a rude way
12
7.2
To leave a place quickly and quietly to avoid something you should do
5
4.1
To make people or animals go away by waving your hand
5
3.9
Say goodbye to people and go away from a place politely
4
8.9
Tell someone to go away and leave you alone
3
9.5
To tell someone rudely to go away or to stop working and relax
3
9.9
Tell someone to go away in a rude way
2
2.5
Leave a place quickly because you are in a hurry
1
9.1
To leave a place quietly or suddenly without telling others
1
9.9
To leave a place quickly because you do not want to be there
1
7.9
To leave a place quickly, often without saying goodbye
1
9.9
To tell someone rudely to go away and leave you alone
1
7.7
To say goodbye and leave politely
To leave a place suddenly, usually to go somewhere else
To leave a place quickly, often in a rude way
Tells someone angrily to go away
A short spoken word telling someone to go away now
Leave a place quickly because you are not welcome
Antonyms
How Secretly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The constituent meanings — 'duck' (to avoid/lower) and 'off' (away/from) — give a plausible interpretation of leaving or moving away, so a B1 learner could plausibly infer 'leave quickly/discreetly'. However, the expression is slangy and includes a euphemistic/imperative use ('go away') that is more idiomatic and culturally marked, so the full range of meanings is not entirely predictable from the parts. The verb+off pattern (meaning 'away') is common cross-linguistically, but the slangy nuance keeps this between transparent and opaque.
Etymology
Duck off comes from the image of someone quickly ducking, lowering the head or body, and then off, meaning away, to avoid notice. So it means 'leave quickly' and can also be used as a rude way to tell someone to 'go away'.