off and onadv.prep.adj.n.int.

Brit.

/ˌɒf (ə)n(d) ˈɒn/, U.S.

/ˌɔf ən ˈɑn/,

/ˌɑf ən ˈɑn/

Forms: see off adv., and conj.¹, and on adv.

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: off adv., and conj.¹, on adv.

Etymology: < off adv. + and conj.¹ + on adv.The following, noted by N.E.D. (1902) s.v. as ‘apparently a corrupt reading’, probably shows a Middle English collocation of of prep. and anon adv. in the sense ‘constantly’ (compare Middle Eng. Dict. s.v. of):a1500 (?a1400) Sir Torrent of Portyngale (1887) 543 Of an on he [sc. the dragon] wase stronge.

A. adv. (and prep.)

1. With interruption and resumption of action; intermittently, at intervals, now and again.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > intermittently

by (formerly also at) startsc1422

startmeal?c1422

off and on1535

every otherwhile1542

by, or in, snatches1577

by fits and turns1583

by halves and fits1583

one time with another1591

fit-meal1593

by fits and spurts1605

planetarily?1609

scatteredly1612

startinglya1616

by snaps1631

intermittingly1654

from space to space1658

on and off1668

at (by) intervals1744

cessantly1746

by spells1788

fitfully1792

by fits and spasms1797

everylikea1800

intermittently1800

intermittedly1829

interjectionally1837

jerkily1839

at seasons1850

sporadically1852

parenthetically1860

spasmodically1877

snatchily1880

variously1892

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xxviii. A Officers waytinge vpon the kynge, to go of & on after their course.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 15 I swam ere I could recouer the shore, fiue and thirtie Leagues off and on .

1681 H. Neville Plato Redivivus 107 A bloody War ensued, for almost forty years, off and on.

1742 R. North & M. North Life F. North 165 And so it was wrangled off and on till the Session ended.

1779 N. Greene in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) II. 272 They had been hammering upon the business for almost two months, off and on.

1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xv. 151 [He] was beat in his apprenticeship, for three weeks (off and on), about the head with a ringbolt.

1860 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 41 I..slept off and on..all the way to Crewe.

1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin xvii. 131 Off and on for nearly twenty-two months the fleet had scoured the gray wastes of the North Sea.

1958 Recorded Interview (Brit. Libr. Sound Archive) (Survey Eng. Dialects: C908) Track 13 [Warwickshire] I worked off and on until I was 61, on the farm.

1988 M. M. R. Khan When Spring Comes v. 118 A..difficult patient, who had been refusing to go to work, off and on, for the past three years and had now totally packed up.

2000 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 117/2 Kokero worked in the business off and on for the next 20 years.

2. Nautical. On alternate tacks; away from and then towards the shore, as a means of keeping at a constant distance away from it.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [phrase] > away from and towards the shore

off and on1578

on and off1748

1578 G. Best True Disc. Passage to Cathaya iii.43 Shyppes lying off and on at Sea the whyle vnder Sayle.

1587 J. White Fourth Voy. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) III. 768 There arose such a tempest..that our Admirall..was forced to..put to Sea, where he laye beating off and on, sixe dayes before hee coulde come to vs againe.

a1608 F. Vere Comm. (1657) 29 I plied onely to windward, lying off and on from the mouth of the Bay to the sea.

1666 London Gaz. No. 113/3 Their Convoyer in his return, standing off and on for high water.

1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 226 Some..Privateers lay off and on, in the Soundings.

1772–84 J. Cook Voy. (1790) V. 1892 We spent the night standing off and on, among the drift ice.

1835 N. P. Willis Pencillings (1942) 216 We shall lie off-and-on to-night, and go into Corfu in the morning.

1852 T. Ross tr. A. von Humboldt Personal Narr. Trav. Amer. I. iii. 146 The Captain preferred standing off and on till daybreak.

1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders vi. 66 She's been beating off and on a' day with her tops'ls reefed.

1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 152 Off and on..keeping the land by ‘heading in’ and ‘standing out’.

1984 P. O'Brian Far Side of World i. 40 Don't you let those mumping villains at the cooperage-wharf keep you standing off and on.

†3. In vacillation between friendliness and hostility, or warmth and coolness; with a see-saw policy or relationship; inconstantly. Obsolete (but cf. the adjective).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adverb]

in a waver1519

uncertainly1555

waveringlya1603

irresolutely1617

unresolvedly1621

off and ona1641

hesitantly1660

humdrum1660

irresolvedly1680

undecisively1771

hesitatingly1800

on or upon the waver1806

indecisively1828

vacillatinglya1849

oscillatively1852

hesitatively1881

shakenly1890

a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 467 In this sort stood the Samaritans wavering off and on with the Jewes a long time.

1817 M. Edgeworth Ormond III. xxvi. 186 No easy dupe, to be whiffled off and on, the sport of a coquet.

1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways II. 273 Percy was plainly called a donkey, for hanging off and on with a handsome girl of such expectations as Miss Asper.

†4. literal. to play off and on with: to take off and put on alternately. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > touching > touching with the hand > touch or feel with the hand [verb (transitive)] > touch or handle idly or restlessly

finger1546

to toy with ——1576

paddlea1616

nibble1676

twiddle1676

trifle1818

to pick at ——1841

to play off and on with1845

piggle1847

to twiddle with or at1847

1845 Tait's Edinb. Mag. 12 4 Sarah..in deep confusion, played off and on with one of the richly jewelled rings she wore.

B. adj. (frequently in predicative use).

Sometimes off and sometimes on; intermittent, taking place at intervals; vacillating, inconstant, fluctuating; (of a sick person): not noticeably or permanently better (regional).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adjective]

twiredec888

orrathc1175

twofoldc1175

twifoldc1200

waveringc1315

uncertain1382

suspensec1440

mammeringa1450

flowing?1504

floghtering1521

vacillant1521

in a mammering1532

double-minded1552

unstaid1561

unresolute1570

unresolved?1571

staggeringa1577

frittle1579

irresolute1579

cheverel1583

off and on1583

halting1585

unsettleda1593

unresolving1599

demurring1607

waving1611

suspensive1614

hoveringa1616

startling1619

irresolved1621

hesitating1622

indetermined1628

variousa1643

branling1645

hesitant1647

non-sincere1656

hesitatious1657

humdrum1660

shuttlecock1660

yea-and-nay1672

swaying1688

interpendent1708

undetermined1718

Squadronec1720

hesitatorya1734

volanta1734

shilly-shally1734

dilly-dally1749

niffy-naffy1765

wiggle-waggle1778

undecided1779

undecisive1780

indecisive1787

conflicted1789

hesitative1795

undeciding1802

vacillating1814

yea-nay1827

demurrant1836

willy-nilly1839

shilly-shallying1842

oscillative1852

Hamletish1854

vacillatory1854

dilly-dallying1879

thistledown1897

weak-principled1913

not-quite1920

off-again on-again1923

dithery1931

havering1975

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adjective] > intermittent or irregular

chopping1483

wavering1488

interpolate1547

suspensive1575

off and on1583

remitting1583

intermissive1586

fluttering1590

aguisha1602

intermittent1603

irregular1608

broken1629

intermitting1643

serratile1707

serrine1707

scattering1709

serratic1753

now-and-then1762

remittent1791

fitful1810

non-periodic1836

spasmodic1837

startful1837

interlusory1853

heterochronic1854

heterochronous1854

between-whiles1859

snatchy1861

sporadic1861

spasmodical1864

catchy1869

pauseful1877

aperiodic1879

scratchy1881

nervy1884

spurty1894

off-again on-again1923

on-again off-again1946

on-off1949

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective]

unfastc888

unstathelfasteOE

unsteadfasta1200

fleeting?c1225

changeablea1275

ficklea1275

unstablec1290

waveringc1315

flickerc1325

loose in the haftc1325

motleyc1380

unsadc1384

variablea1387

variantc1386

ticklec1400

inconstant1402

flitting1413

brittle1420

plianta1425

mutablec1425

shittle1440

shittle-witted1448

moonishc1450

unconstant1483

unfirm1483

varying?a1500

pliablea1513

fluctuant1575

changeling1577

shittle-headed1580

cheverel1583

off and on1583

chameleon-like1589

changeful1590

limber1602

unsteady1604

ticklish1606

skittish1609

startling1619

labile1623

uncertaina1625

cheverelized1625

remuant1625

fluctuate1631

fluctuary1632

various1636

contrarious1643

epileptical1646

fluxilea1654

shittle-braineda1655

multivolent1656

totter-headed1662

on and off1668

self-inconsistent1678

weathercocka1680

whifflinga1680

versatile1682

veering1684

fast and loose1697

inconsistent1709

insteadfast1728

unfixing1810

unsteadied1814

chameleonic1821

labefact1874

ballastless1884

weathercocky1886

whiffle-minded1902

1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xv. 88 Their hoping is but off and on at al-aduenture.

1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 203 We are wavering and loose, off and on, and no hold to be taken of us.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 305/2 The Proverb, Off and on, like a Cock Sparrow.

a1807 W. Wordsworth Prelude (1959) iv. 118 My faithful Dog, The off-and-on Companion of my walk.

1866 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 316 After about two hours of off-and-on sleep, I awoke.

1878 H. James Watch & Ward viii. 167 A young girl in New York whom he has been off and on for a couple of years.

1931 in Sc. National Dict. I. 20/2 ‘Is da wife ony better?’ ‘Na, juist aff an on.’

1963 New Yorker 15 June 118 The world's most alarmingly off-and-on blonde.

1992 M. Blonsky Amer. Mythologies (1993) xii. 289 The relationship from the outset was bipolar: hostile-friendly, soft and tough, soothing and irritating, cold and hot, off and on.

2001 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 8 Feb. 14/1 Someone who was off-and-on buddies, depending on the thermostatic reading of the dis-tempered times.

C. n. [With ellipsis of a gerund or verbal noun.]

Intermittent or fluctuating action; see-sawing, vacillation. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [noun]

yea-and-nayc1384

vacillationc1400

titteringa1413

stackeringc1440

wondingc1440

fluctuationc1450

waver1519

mammering1532

uncertainty1548

wavering1548

to and fro1553

suspense1560

staggering1565

suspension1568

mammery1578

demur1581

branle1591

dilly-dally1592

hesitance1601

irresolution1601

uncertainness1601

undecision1611

waveringness1614

hesitancy1617

unsettledness1619

hesitation1622

unresolvednessa1626

doubleness of minda1628

wavinga1628

swagging1636

poise1637

mambling1640

stickagea1647

vacillancy1668

whifflinga1677

hovering1679

unresolve1679

irresoluteness1686

shilly-shally1755

indecisiona1763

undecisiveness1779

indecisiveness1793

oscillation1798

flexility1815

shilly-shallying1842

swaying1850

Hamletism1852

teeter1855

havering1866

off and on1875

dilly-dallying1879

double-mindedness1881

hesitatingness1890

dither1958

1875 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 386 After many years of off and on, he has taken to calling me his ‘dear old friend’.

D. int.

U.S. slang (originally Army). [Short for off your backside and on your feet, or any similar imperative phrase.] ‘Get going!’ ‘Get a move on!’

ΚΠ

1944 Yank 9 June 11/2 Okay, boys! Off and on! Hit the deck!

1957 R. H. Leckie Helmet for my Pillow 25 Then came the command: ‘Off and on!’ It means off your behind and on your feet.

1984 R. Jackson & M. Lupica Reggie 14 That comes from Dad always saying, ‘Off and on’, meaning ‘Off your ass and on the deck’.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	off and on
释义	off and onadv.prep.adj.n.int. Brit. /ˌɒf (ə)n(d) ˈɒn/, U.S. /ˌɔf ən ˈɑn/, /ˌɑf ən ˈɑn/ Forms: see off adv., and conj.¹, and on adv. Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: off adv., and conj.¹, on adv. Etymology: < off adv. + and conj.¹ + on adv.The following, noted by N.E.D. (1902) s.v. as ‘apparently a corrupt reading’, probably shows a Middle English collocation of of prep. and anon adv. in the sense ‘constantly’ (compare Middle Eng. Dict. s.v. of):a1500 (?a1400) Sir Torrent of Portyngale (1887) 543 Of an on he [sc. the dragon] wase stronge. A. adv. (and prep.) 1. With interruption and resumption of action; intermittently, at intervals, now and again. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > intermittently by (formerly also at) startsc1422 startmeal?c1422 off and on1535 every otherwhile1542 by, or in, snatches1577 by fits and turns1583 by halves and fits1583 one time with another1591 fit-meal1593 by fits and spurts1605 planetarily?1609 scatteredly1612 startinglya1616 by snaps1631 intermittingly1654 from space to space1658 on and off1668 at (by) intervals1744 cessantly1746 by spells1788 fitfully1792 by fits and spasms1797 everylikea1800 intermittently1800 intermittedly1829 interjectionally1837 jerkily1839 at seasons1850 sporadically1852 parenthetically1860 spasmodically1877 snatchily1880 variously1892 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Chron. xxviii. A Officers waytinge vpon the kynge, to go of & on after their course. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. ii. 15 I swam ere I could recouer the shore, fiue and thirtie Leagues off and on . View more context for this quotation 1681 H. Neville Plato Redivivus 107 A bloody War ensued, for almost forty years, off and on. 1742 R. North & M. North Life F. North 165 And so it was wrangled off and on till the Session ended. 1779 N. Greene in J. Sparks Corr. Amer. Revol. (1853) II. 272 They had been hammering upon the business for almost two months, off and on. 1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xv. 151 [He] was beat in his apprenticeship, for three weeks (off and on), about the head with a ringbolt. 1860 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 41 I..slept off and on..all the way to Crewe. 1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin xvii. 131 Off and on for nearly twenty-two months the fleet had scoured the gray wastes of the North Sea. 1958 Recorded Interview (Brit. Libr. Sound Archive) (Survey Eng. Dialects: C908) Track 13 [Warwickshire] I worked off and on until I was 61, on the farm. 1988 M. M. R. Khan When Spring Comes v. 118 A..difficult patient, who had been refusing to go to work, off and on, for the past three years and had now totally packed up. 2000 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Aug. 117/2 Kokero worked in the business off and on for the next 20 years. 2. Nautical. On alternate tacks; away from and then towards the shore, as a means of keeping at a constant distance away from it. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > directing or managing a ship > direct or manage ship [phrase] > away from and towards the shore off and on1578 on and off1748 1578 G. Best True Disc. Passage to Cathaya iii.43 Shyppes lying off and on at Sea the whyle vnder Sayle. 1587 J. White Fourth Voy. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) III. 768 There arose such a tempest..that our Admirall..was forced to..put to Sea, where he laye beating off and on, sixe dayes before hee coulde come to vs againe. a1608 F. Vere Comm. (1657) 29 I plied onely to windward, lying off and on from the mouth of the Bay to the sea. 1666 London Gaz. No. 113/3 Their Convoyer in his return, standing off and on for high water. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 226 Some..Privateers lay off and on, in the Soundings. 1772–84 J. Cook Voy. (1790) V. 1892 We spent the night standing off and on, among the drift ice. 1835 N. P. Willis Pencillings (1942) 216 We shall lie off-and-on to-night, and go into Corfu in the morning. 1852 T. Ross tr. A. von Humboldt Personal Narr. Trav. Amer. I. iii. 146 The Captain preferred standing off and on till daybreak. 1894 S. R. Crockett Raiders vi. 66 She's been beating off and on a' day with her tops'ls reefed. 1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 152 Off and on..keeping the land by ‘heading in’ and ‘standing out’. 1984 P. O'Brian Far Side of World i. 40 Don't you let those mumping villains at the cooperage-wharf keep you standing off and on. †3. In vacillation between friendliness and hostility, or warmth and coolness; with a see-saw policy or relationship; inconstantly. Obsolete (but cf. the adjective). ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adverb] in a waver1519 uncertainly1555 waveringlya1603 irresolutely1617 unresolvedly1621 off and ona1641 hesitantly1660 humdrum1660 irresolvedly1680 undecisively1771 hesitatingly1800 on or upon the waver1806 indecisively1828 vacillatinglya1849 oscillatively1852 hesitatively1881 shakenly1890 a1641 R. Montagu Acts & Monuments (1642) 467 In this sort stood the Samaritans wavering off and on with the Jewes a long time. 1817 M. Edgeworth Ormond III. xxvi. 186 No easy dupe, to be whiffled off and on, the sport of a coquet. 1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways II. 273 Percy was plainly called a donkey, for hanging off and on with a handsome girl of such expectations as Miss Asper. †4. literal. to play off and on with: to take off and put on alternately. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > touch and feeling > touching > touching with the hand > touch or feel with the hand [verb (transitive)] > touch or handle idly or restlessly finger1546 to toy with ——1576 paddlea1616 nibble1676 twiddle1676 trifle1818 to pick at ——1841 to play off and on with1845 piggle1847 to twiddle with or at1847 1845 Tait's Edinb. Mag. 12 4 Sarah..in deep confusion, played off and on with one of the richly jewelled rings she wore. B. adj. (frequently in predicative use). Sometimes off and sometimes on; intermittent, taking place at intervals; vacillating, inconstant, fluctuating; (of a sick person): not noticeably or permanently better (regional). ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [adjective] twiredec888 orrathc1175 twofoldc1175 twifoldc1200 waveringc1315 uncertain1382 suspensec1440 mammeringa1450 flowing?1504 floghtering1521 vacillant1521 in a mammering1532 double-minded1552 unstaid1561 unresolute1570 unresolved?1571 staggeringa1577 frittle1579 irresolute1579 cheverel1583 off and on1583 halting1585 unsettleda1593 unresolving1599 demurring1607 waving1611 suspensive1614 hoveringa1616 startling1619 irresolved1621 hesitating1622 indetermined1628 variousa1643 branling1645 hesitant1647 non-sincere1656 hesitatious1657 humdrum1660 shuttlecock1660 yea-and-nay1672 swaying1688 interpendent1708 undetermined1718 Squadronec1720 hesitatorya1734 volanta1734 shilly-shally1734 dilly-dally1749 niffy-naffy1765 wiggle-waggle1778 undecided1779 undecisive1780 indecisive1787 conflicted1789 hesitative1795 undeciding1802 vacillating1814 yea-nay1827 demurrant1836 willy-nilly1839 shilly-shallying1842 oscillative1852 Hamletish1854 vacillatory1854 dilly-dallying1879 thistledown1897 weak-principled1913 not-quite1920 off-again on-again1923 dithery1931 havering1975 the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adjective] > intermittent or irregular chopping1483 wavering1488 interpolate1547 suspensive1575 off and on1583 remitting1583 intermissive1586 fluttering1590 aguisha1602 intermittent1603 irregular1608 broken1629 intermitting1643 serratile1707 serrine1707 scattering1709 serratic1753 now-and-then1762 remittent1791 fitful1810 non-periodic1836 spasmodic1837 startful1837 interlusory1853 heterochronic1854 heterochronous1854 between-whiles1859 snatchy1861 sporadic1861 spasmodical1864 catchy1869 pauseful1877 aperiodic1879 scratchy1881 nervy1884 spurty1894 off-again on-again1923 on-again off-again1946 on-off1949 the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [adjective] unfastc888 unstathelfasteOE unsteadfasta1200 fleeting?c1225 changeablea1275 ficklea1275 unstablec1290 waveringc1315 flickerc1325 loose in the haftc1325 motleyc1380 unsadc1384 variablea1387 variantc1386 ticklec1400 inconstant1402 flitting1413 brittle1420 plianta1425 mutablec1425 shittle1440 shittle-witted1448 moonishc1450 unconstant1483 unfirm1483 varying?a1500 pliablea1513 fluctuant1575 changeling1577 shittle-headed1580 cheverel1583 off and on1583 chameleon-like1589 changeful1590 limber1602 unsteady1604 ticklish1606 skittish1609 startling1619 labile1623 uncertaina1625 cheverelized1625 remuant1625 fluctuate1631 fluctuary1632 various1636 contrarious1643 epileptical1646 fluxilea1654 shittle-braineda1655 multivolent1656 totter-headed1662 on and off1668 self-inconsistent1678 weathercocka1680 whifflinga1680 versatile1682 veering1684 fast and loose1697 inconsistent1709 insteadfast1728 unfixing1810 unsteadied1814 chameleonic1821 labefact1874 ballastless1884 weathercocky1886 whiffle-minded1902 1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie xv. 88 Their hoping is but off and on at al-aduenture. 1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 203 We are wavering and loose, off and on, and no hold to be taken of us. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 305/2 The Proverb, Off and on, like a Cock Sparrow. a1807 W. Wordsworth Prelude (1959) iv. 118 My faithful Dog, The off-and-on Companion of my walk. 1866 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 316 After about two hours of off-and-on sleep, I awoke. 1878 H. James Watch & Ward viii. 167 A young girl in New York whom he has been off and on for a couple of years. 1931 in Sc. National Dict. I. 20/2 ‘Is da wife ony better?’ ‘Na, juist aff an on.’ 1963 New Yorker 15 June 118 The world's most alarmingly off-and-on blonde. 1992 M. Blonsky Amer. Mythologies (1993) xii. 289 The relationship from the outset was bipolar: hostile-friendly, soft and tough, soothing and irritating, cold and hot, off and on. 2001 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 8 Feb. 14/1 Someone who was off-and-on buddies, depending on the thermostatic reading of the dis-tempered times. C. n. [With ellipsis of a gerund or verbal noun.] Intermittent or fluctuating action; see-sawing, vacillation. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > [noun] yea-and-nayc1384 vacillationc1400 titteringa1413 stackeringc1440 wondingc1440 fluctuationc1450 waver1519 mammering1532 uncertainty1548 wavering1548 to and fro1553 suspense1560 staggering1565 suspension1568 mammery1578 demur1581 branle1591 dilly-dally1592 hesitance1601 irresolution1601 uncertainness1601 undecision1611 waveringness1614 hesitancy1617 unsettledness1619 hesitation1622 unresolvednessa1626 doubleness of minda1628 wavinga1628 swagging1636 poise1637 mambling1640 stickagea1647 vacillancy1668 whifflinga1677 hovering1679 unresolve1679 irresoluteness1686 shilly-shally1755 indecisiona1763 undecisiveness1779 indecisiveness1793 oscillation1798 flexility1815 shilly-shallying1842 swaying1850 Hamletism1852 teeter1855 havering1866 off and on1875 dilly-dallying1879 double-mindedness1881 hesitatingness1890 dither1958 1875 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 386 After many years of off and on, he has taken to calling me his ‘dear old friend’. D. int. U.S. slang (originally Army). [Short for off your backside and on your feet, or any similar imperative phrase.] ‘Get going!’ ‘Get a move on!’ ΚΠ 1944 Yank 9 June 11/2 Okay, boys! Off and on! Hit the deck! 1957 R. H. Leckie Helmet for my Pillow 25 Then came the command: ‘Off and on!’ It means off your behind and on your feet. 1984 R. Jackson & M. Lupica Reggie 14 That comes from Dad always saying, ‘Off and on’, meaning ‘Off your ass and on the deck’. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adv.prep.adj.n.int.1535
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