🗓️ Idiom: Off the Cuff (adv)
💬 Meaning
- Said or done without preparation.
- Speak without notes or any preparation.
🧠 Example Sentences
- He delivered his remarks off the cuff, but they were still clear and persuasive.
- The CEO answered a tough question off the cuff and impressed everyone.
- I wasn’t expecting to speak, so my comments were completely off the cuff.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the early 1900s when speakers would quickly jot notes on their shirt cuffs. Saying something “off the cuff” came to mean speaking without full preparation—just from quick thoughts or memory.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
I didn’t prepare a speech, so I had to speak ____________.
Answer
off the cuff
2. Choose the best meaning of “off the cuff”:
a) With strong emotion
b) From a written script
c) Without preparation
Answer
c) Without preparation
3. Change the sentence using “off the cuff”:
“She spoke without preparing, but still made a strong point.”
Answer
She spoke off the cuff but still made a strong point.
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
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