Idiom
Off the cuff
If you say something off the cuff, you say it without planning or preparing it beforehand.
How people use it
It describes speech that is spontaneous: a speech, joke, answer or comment made up on the spot. People say "speak off the cuff" or put it before a noun with hyphens, as in "an off-the-cuff remark." The tone is neutral. It can be positive, praising someone who thinks quickly, or a warning sign, since off-the-cuff comments sometimes come out wrong. It is close to "impromptu" and "ad-libbed." Do not confuse it with "off the record," which means not for publication.
Also said: off-the-cuff, speak off the cuff.
Examples
- The principal's off-the-cuff joke got more laughs than her prepared speech.
- I wasn't ready to present, so I had to speak off the cuff.
- His off-the-cuff answer about the budget surprised the whole team.
Where it comes from
The usual explanation is that speakers once jotted quick notes on their shirt cuffs, which in the late 1800s and early 1900s were often stiff and detachable. Glancing at a cuff instead of a written speech meant speaking with little preparation. The phrase is recorded in American English in the 1930s. The cuff story is the widely accepted source, though no single first case has been documented.
Check yourself
1. What is an off-the-cuff remark?
Answer: Something said without planning. Off the cuff means spontaneous, made up in the moment rather than prepared.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The best man had lost his notes, so he gave his toast off the cuff.. Off the cuff means without notes or preparation, so reading word for word is the opposite.
Similar idioms
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