off the cuff
11
6.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
de improviso
- During the meeting, he made an off the cuff remark about the new policy.
- off-the-cuff remark
- speak off the cuff
- off-the-cuff comment
Like I would sit down and react to them off the cuff with no planning.
- Like I would sit down and react to them off the cuff with no planning.
- Would he just off the cuff do things like this?
- And his introductions always sounded like they were off the cuff.
- No, no, it's just something, something's just said off the cuff.
- That's a really funny and apartment comparison, especially including how Trump can get up there and speak off the cuff for hours.
Examples
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An exhausted Carter gave an emotional speech that appeared to be off the cuff.
Blog text (8) -
And in our case, that is totally off the cuff, totally unscripted, saying the first thing that pops into our minds, just being good friends together.
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It's quite clear from the off-the-cuff nature of the statement.
Blog text (2) -
Or was he speaking off the cuff?
Blog text (33) -
Everyone has a view on competitors, so you will likely get some off-the-cuff questions on this subject as well.
Blog text (8) -
What I couldn't believe was how quick and off-the-cuff he really is.
Blog text (8) -
I saw you speaking candidly and off the cuff about me.
Blog text (28) -
Reagan was a skillful communicator and was able to talk off the cuff, be funny, and show empathy he may not have personally.
Blog text (31) -
Her speech was mostly off the cuff, which made it feel genuine and relatable.
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I tend to perform better in interviews when I speak off the cuff rather than reading from a script.
Synonyms
12
5.5
A sudden decision made without thinking
7
6.3
Said or done immediately without careful thought
4
5.8
Happening suddenly without planning, often as a quick decision
3
7.2
Said or done without planning beforehand
3
7.0
Speak or act without careful thought
1
7.2
To say or do something without thinking and planning
Done or said without planning at the moment
Antonyms
How Prepared
26
1.0
- Informal
11
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
off + the + cuff
The literal parts 'off' (away/not on) and 'cuff' (the edge of a sleeve) do not transparently combine to the meaning 'impromptu' — the sense is idiomatic and historically/metaphorically derived. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would unlikely predict 'spoken or done without preparation' from those meanings alone, so the expression is not predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Off the cuff may come from people who wrote quick notes on the cuff of their shirt or coat. Speaking 'off the cuff' meant saying something from those quick notes or with no real preparation, so today it means 'spoken without preparation'.