Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Not prepared in advance; impromptu: an off-the-cuff remark.
Wiktionary
- adj. idiomatic Extemporaneous; without prior preparation; impromptu.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. with little or no preparation or forethought; unrehearsed; extemporaneous; offhand.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. without preparation
- adj. with little or no preparation or forethought
Etymologies
- From the prepositional phrase off the cuff (Wiktionary)
Examples
“Nobody should be forced to pay for anyone else's healthcare," is her off-the-cuff final answer.”
The Guardian: Christine O'Donnell debates Chris Coons in Delaware - as it happened
““Pure process, pure process,” he repeated to himself, under his breath, as though he was taking this off-the-cuff throwaway remark (meant to both fill the time and put him off) as something “profound.””
“Anyhow … I love this post (and not just because of the inclusion in the ensemble) … my absolute favourite thought is the ‘little snippets of off-the-cuff, unrehearsed interaction that by themselves mean nothing, but which all together paint a surprisingly vivid picture.’.”
No, Charlie Gilkey isn’t a 90-year-old bricklayer named Blanche | Johnny B. Truant
“Let me see how they answer wall posts on Facebook or respond to off-the-cuff Skype chats or emails.”
No, Charlie Gilkey isn’t a 90-year-old bricklayer named Blanche | Johnny B. Truant
“This is my off-the-cuff list of community management under the bonnet.”
Community management under the bonnet: 23 things « Innovation Cloud
“No. Just someone who allegedly made a stupid off-the-cuff insensitive remark according to an unsourced book based largely on hearsay and conjecture.”
“One off-the-cuff decision I made has had wide-reaching ramifications.”
“A former White House chief of staff for President George H.W. Bush, Mr. Sununu described Mr. Gingrich as having a penchant for "self-aggrandizement" and "off-the-cuff thinking" that "is not what you want in a commander-in-chief.”
The Wall Street Journal: Tough Talk as Romney Takes Aim at Gingrich
“Heads snapped to attention this month when the state attorney general, Paula Dow , said she had a police force—and the Supreme Court doesn't—in a seemingly off-the-cuff remark during a legislative budget hearing.”
The Wall Street Journal: Court Decision Could Upend N.J. Schools
“What you have left are simply the answers that each president offered, off-the-cuff and unscripted, to all questions.”
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