/ · 1894 Brewer’s · O · Off-hand
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Without preparation; impromptu. The phrase, “in hand,” as, “It was long in hand,” means that it was long in operation, or long a-doing; so that “off-hand” must mean it was not “in hand.”
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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