IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishoff the cuff
Meaning: Without much advance preparation; spontaneously.
Example: “Asked for a speech, he spoke off the cuff for ten minutes.”
Equivalents in other languages
German: aus dem Handgelenk Literally: From the wrist
French: Au débotté Literally: At the unbooting
Origin: Off the cuff is usually applied to speaking or writing. On the spur of the moment means that one makes a decision to do something suddenly and therefore without much preparation.
More English idioms
- off the wall Unusual; peculiar.
- on the warpath Looking for a fight; very angry and upset with someone or something.
- on one's last legs About to die, fail, or collapse.
- on the blink Not working correctly.
- on the fritz Not working correctly.
- on the go Constantly busy; very active.
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