Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 581 of course - certainly, definitely, naturally "Of course you can use my car if you want to." of interest (to someone) - to be interesting to someone The man who works at the gas station is of interest to the police in their investigation of the murder. of late - lately Of late there has been almost no rain in our city. of no avail - with no effect, unsuccessful My complaints to the company were of no avail and nothing was done. of one's own accord/free will - by one's own choice The supervisor decided to leave her job of her own free will and was not fired. of the old school - to have attitudes from the past which are no longer popular Our teacher's attitudes are of the old school and are not often found these days. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 582 . off Idioms off and on - occasionally My friend has been seeing a woman off and on but I do not think that their relationship is very serious. off and running - to be started up and already going The candidates are off and running in the race to become mayor of the city. off balance - to be not prepared for something, to be unable to meet the unexpected I was off balance when my boss asked me to deliver the speech instead of him. off base - to be inaccurate/wrong He was off base with his estimate of next year`s budget. off campus - to be not on the grounds of a college or university The used bookstore was off campus but it was very popular with the university students. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 583 off-center - to be not exactly in the center or middle of something The picture was off-center and did not look good on the wall. the off chance - a slight possibility I went to the department store on the off chance that I would find a new jacket that I liked. off-color - to be in bad taste, to be not polite, to be not the exact color He likes to tell off-color jokes which most people do not like. We painted the walls an off-color of white. off duty - to be not working The police officer was off duty when he saw the bank robbery. off guard - to be not alert to the unexpected It caught me off guard when my friend suddenly asked me to lend her some money. off like a shot - to go away quickly The children were off like a shot when the school bell rang. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 584 off limits - to be forbidden The factory was off limits to everybody except the workers who worked there. off one`s back - to be not bothering someone I wish my father would get off my back and stop asking me when I am going to look for a job. off one`s chest - to talk about a problem to someone so that it does not bother you anymore I talked to my friend and I was able to get some of my problems off my chest. off one`s hands - to no longer be in one`s care or possession I sold my old computer and got it off my hands. off one`s high horse - to be not acting proud and scornful, to be not acting like you are better than others We got our boss off his high horse when he admitted that he had made many mistakes with the new product launch. off one`s rocker - to be crazy He must be off his rocker if he thinks that he can spend much money and not have financial problems. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 585 off season - to be not in the busy time of the year, to be restricted (the hunting of an animal) It was off season so we got a very cheap rate for the hotel room. It was off season and we could not hunt ducks now. off (someone or something) goes - someone or something is leaving "Off we go," I said as we opened the door and left the house. off the air - to be not broadcasting The small radio station was not popular and is now off the air. off the beam - to be wrong/mistaken What he said about the new policy was off the beam and should be ignored by everybody. off the beaten track - to be not well known or often used, to be unusual Last night we went to a small restaurant that was off the beaten track. off the cuff - to not prepare in advance what one will say My father made a few remarks off the cuff when he was accepting the award from his company. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 586 off the hook - to be out of trouble or free from an embarrassing situation I think that I am off the hook now and will not have to worry about the problem anymore. off the mark - to be not quite exactly right The cost estimate for the new train station was off the mark. off the record - to be private, to be unofficial He told the reporters off the record about the problem with the budget estimate. off the subject - to be not concerned with the subject under discussion Our teacher is often off the subject during our class lectures. off the top of one`s head - to be from memory, to be spontaneous He knew all of the team members off the top of his head. off the track - to be not concerned with the topic under discussion My friend was off the track when he suggested that the problem was caused by the other department. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 587 off the wagon - to begin to drink alcohol again after stopping for awhile He is off the wagon again. I saw him yesterday and I am sure that he had been drinking. off the wall - to be odd/silly/unusual The recent remarks by our boss were very much off the wall. off to a running start - to have a good and fast beginning We were off to a running start with our preparations for the autumn festival. off to one side - to be beside something, to be moved a little away from something We put the old chair off to one side while we tried to decide what to do with it. . offbeat - to be unconventional, to be different from the usual The movie was very offbeat which is just the kind of movie that I like. (as) old as the hills - to be very old The building next to the library is as old as the hills. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 588 an old hand at (doing something) - to be experienced at doing something My father is an old hand at building kitchen furniture. old hat - to be old-fashioned, to be not new or different My job has become old hat and I am becoming tired of it. on Idioms on a diet - to be eating less food so that you can lose weight I was on a diet for several months last year. on a dime - to do something in a very small space, to do something quickly His new car has very powerful brakes and is able to stop on a dime. on a first-name basis (with someone) - to be good friends with someone I am not on a first-name basis with my neighbor. on a fool's errand - to be involved in a useless journey or task I was on a fool's errand as I looked for a store that sold international road maps. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 589 on a shoestring - to do something with very little money He started the new company on a shoestring. on a splurge - to spend much money extravagantly We went on a splurge last weekend and spent a lot of money. on a waiting list - to be on a list of people waiting for something My father is on a waiting list to get an operation on his knee. on account - money paid or owed on a debt We buy many things on account at the local department store. on active duty - to be in battle or ready to go into battle The soldiers were on active duty when the hurricane reached the shore. on again, off again - to be unsettled/changeable/uncertain The plans for the fireworks display were on again, off again because of the rainy and windy weather. on all fours - to be on one's hands and knees I was down on all fours as I looked for my grandmother's hearing aide. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 590 on an even keel - to be in a well-ordered situation/condition We got the new department running on an even keel before we took some time off. on and off - intermittently, now and then It has been raining on and off since early this morning. on and on - continually, at tedious length The speech continued on and on until we finally left the meeting. on any account - for any purpose, for any reason I am not going to talk to that woman on any account. on approval - to buy something with the right to return it We carefuly looked at the chair which we had bought on approval. on behalf of (someone) - representing someone The lawyer went to the meeting on behalf of his client. on bended knee - with great humility The young man was on bended knee when he asked his girlfriend to marry him. . under discussion My friend was off the track when he suggested that the problem was caused by the other department. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 587 off the wagon - to begin to. grandmother's hearing aide. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 590 on an even keel - to be in a well-ordered situation/condition We got the new department running on an even keel before we took some. and should be ignored by everybody. off the beaten track - to be not well known or often used, to be unusual Last night we went to a small restaurant that was off the beaten track. off