well offadv.n.adj.

Brit.

/ˌwɛl ˈɒf/, U.S.

/ˌwɛl ˈɔf/,

/ˌwɛl ˈɑf/

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: well adv., off adv.

Etymology: < well adv. + off adv.

A. adv.

1. In a fortunate, favourable, or advantageous situation or position.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase]

well off1715

1636 tr. J. Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin Ariana i. vi. 104 [He] puts himselfe into many hazards, comes well off with some, is hurt in others, but never yeelds.]

1715 C. Johnson Country Lasses iv. 55 An ill-natur'd old Puppy, to engage a Man in a Quarrel too—However I think I am pretty well off; this is much better than the Discipline of Towser and the Ditch.

1733 S. Whatley tr. S. Tyssot de Patot Trav. & Adventures James Massey 18 I was well off if he only call'd me a Libertine.

1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 98 Marriage is at present so much out of fashion, that a lady is very well off, who can get any husband at all.

1834 J. S. Mill in Monthly Repos. 8 590 The increased mildness of prison-discipline has made our gaols..places where the prisoner is actually too comfortable, and too well off.

1882 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 660 Exceedingly well off are tuberous and bulbous plants, whose under-ground perennial organs are protected from the influence of climate.

1902 Westm. Gaz. 18 Dec. 4/2 One is really just as well off with the musquash sealskin.

1952 Rotarian Aug. 15/2 In hearing he [sc. man] is seldom as well off as we [sc. dogs].

2007 Europe: Quality Camping & Caravanning Sites 222 Caravan owners are well off here as they have a special section of 130 individual drive-through pitches.

2. Well provided with something specified; with plenty or enough of something. Chiefly with for (also †in).In later use probably influenced by sense A. 3.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > supply > [adjective] > provided or supplied with something > well-provided or supplied > with, in, or for something

richc1175

repletec1384

strongc1450

ripe1579

wealthy1608

well off1775

rife1787

plus1808

well to pass1809

long on1929

1775 H. L. Thrale Jrnl. 16 Oct. in French Jrnls. Mrs. Thrale & Dr. Johnson (1932) 120 We are vastly well off for Friends.

1777 N. Brit. Intelligencer 15 Jan. 88/2 We were very well off for provisions.

1800 S. T. Coleridge Let. 14 Aug. (1956) I. 618 In gardens, etc we are uncommonly well off.

1879 G. Meredith Egoist I. viii. 136 We are well-off for wild flowers here.

1913 C. Hamilton Door that has no Key i. xvi. 88 Well, at any rate I'm very well off for shoes.

1950 Life 27 Feb. 26/2 When it comes to ships, the Navy is not so well off.

2009 A. Bell tr. M. Toussaint-Samat Hist. Food (ed. 2) 417 China is well off for salt deposits too.

3. In a favourable or comfortable financial situation; with enough money to afford a good standard of living; in a position characterized variously (according to context) by sufficient or great wealth; well-to-do.In later use frequently interpreted as an adjective; cf. sense C.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > wealth > [adverb] > well-off

wella1375

well off1812

well in1845

1812 Edinb. Rev. July 228 Twenty years ago, a man was as well off with three hundred a-year as he now is with five.

1843 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross I. ii. 33 He was pretty well off, that is to say, he had more than he spent.

1889 ‘J. S. Winter’ Mrs. Bob i He was rich (or at least certainly well off).

1936 E. von Arnim All the Dogs of my Life i. 16 My father..was extremely parsimonious while he was well off, and only became freehanded when banks smashed and he grew poor.

1991 A. Granger Season for Murder (1992) xii. 285 I don't just mean she was well off, I mean she was seriously wealthy!

2009 Financial Times 28 Nov. (Fine Times Mag.) 13/2 Even for those who are as well off as ever they were, over the top isn't cool.

B. n.

With the and plural agreement. People who are well off, considered as a class; the wealthy.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > wealth > [noun] > rich or wealthy person > well-off person or people

subsidy man1591

subsidy citizen1607

well-to-passer1654

well to pass1695

havea1739

have-something1755

best off1824

well off1828

well-to-do1829

better-to-do1860

kulak1877

better off1895

have-got1897

1828 Lit. Reg. (Oxford, Ohio) 1 Dec. 396/1 The reluctant—the backward sympathy..—the hesitating compliance—the well-off, are too apt to manifest to those of a little lower down.

1884 H. Spencer in Contemp. Rev. June 772 While to the well-off the exaction means loss of luxuries, to the ill-off it means loss of necessaries.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 301 The poor and hard-working are subject to mental upset during nursing in much larger numbers than the well-off.

1921 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 22 Jan. 128/1 The moderately well off would pay the cost of their treatment, and the well off would pay such a sum as would leave a profit to the hospital.

2010 Daily Tel. 26 Nov. 31/1 There have been attempts by ministers to suggest that the child benefit withdrawal will only affect the well-off.

C. adj. (attributive).

Usually in form well-off. Having enough money to afford a good standard of living; (sufficiently or extremely) wealthy; comfortably off, well-to-do. Also: characterized by or indicative of wealth.See note at sense A. 3.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > wealth > [adjective] > well-off

wellc1405

sufficient1436

full?1483

suffisant1484

beina1525

warmc1571

well-breeched1571

meaned1605

well-meaned1605

well-lined1611

substanced?1614

well-circumstanced1643

forehanded1658

uppish1678

easy1701

brownstone1780

forehand1784

solid1788

well-to-do1794

snug1801

strong farmer1802

well-fixed1822

unindigent1830

well off1842

fixed1844

comfortably offc1850

heeled1871

well-heeled1871

well in1888

independent1893

1842 Christian Remembrancer Apr. 393 The well-off, comfortable parish minister.

1888 J. Payn in Illustr. London News 10 Mar. 236/1 A well-known and well-off man of letters.

1893 F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages Chester Pref. 49 A well-off widow.

1926 Amer. Mercury Mar. 324/1 Her father was George Moore, a moderately well off slave-owner.

1976 R. McDougall tr. A. Monnier Very Rich Hours vi. 335 I distinguish several middle-aged couples with a well-off appearance.

1999 S. Rushdie Ground beneath her Feet (2000) xiv. 419 The America in which I led my well-off, green-carded life.

2006 D. G. Schwartz Roll Bones ix. 186 Throngs of well-off health-seekers lounged near the springs.

Phrases

(not) to know when one is well off: (not) to know when one is in a favourable or advantageous situation; (not) to appreciate how fortunate one is. Also if you know when you are well off: (as a threat or warning to reinforce a direction) ‘if you know what is good for you’.

ΚΠ

1722 S. Osborn Polit. & Social Lett. (1890) 24 Jack, I think, knows when he is well off, for he has taken up his rest at Danbury.

a1754 H. Fielding Jrnl. Voy. Lisbon (1755) 223 A huge shark, who, not knowing when he was well off, swallowed another piece of beef.

1796 T. Morton Way to get Married i. i. 1 Why don't you go to the other inn? I'll tell you—because you know when you are well off, ha! ha!

1813 ‘H. Bull-Us’ Diverting Hist. John Bull & Brother Jonathan ii. 9 The old saying that a man don't know when he is well off.

a1865 E. C. Gaskell Wives & Daughters (1866) I. i. 8 She was a silly little thing, and did not know when she was well off.

1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 15 Mar. 92/1 If you know when you're well off, keep your prating tongue between your teeth.

1910 Secret Service 30 Dec. 27/1 You will stop that noise if you know when you are well off.

1919 P. B. Kyne Green-pea Pirates xiv. 108 I was young an' foolish an' didn't know when I was well off.

1998 P. Lively Spiderweb (1999) iv. 41 You should know when you're well off, she said. There's plenty of mothers wouldn't give a damn.

Derivatives

well-ˈoffness n. the state or condition of being well off; (now) esp. wealth, prosperity.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > wealth > [noun] > state of being well-off

warmness1399

competency1600

competence1738

well-to-do-ness1842

well-to-do-ism1848

well-offness1866

warmth1888

easy street1901

1866 M. Oliphant Madonna Mary I. vi. 79 Hesketh's well-off-ness..was trying to a man.

a1916 H. James Sense of Past (1917) 289 His being in 1820 as ‘rich’ as he is, or was, in 1910—which counts for an immense well-offness at the earlier period.

1969 Amer. Econ. Rev. 59 473/2 Well-offness is maximized by an eight-hour day.

2003 Washington Times (Nexis) 25 Apr. b4 For a measure of well-offness, it would have made more sense to count the money people had left over to spend, save or invest.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	well off
释义	well offadv.n.adj. Brit. /ˌwɛl ˈɒf/, U.S. /ˌwɛl ˈɔf/, /ˌwɛl ˈɑf/ Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: well adv., off adv. Etymology: < well adv. + off adv. A. adv. 1. In a fortunate, favourable, or advantageous situation or position. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > in prosperous condition [phrase] well off1715 1636 tr. J. Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin Ariana i. vi. 104 [He] puts himselfe into many hazards, comes well off with some, is hurt in others, but never yeelds.] 1715 C. Johnson Country Lasses iv. 55 An ill-natur'd old Puppy, to engage a Man in a Quarrel too—However I think I am pretty well off; this is much better than the Discipline of Towser and the Ditch. 1733 S. Whatley tr. S. Tyssot de Patot Trav. & Adventures James Massey 18 I was well off if he only call'd me a Libertine. 1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World II. 98 Marriage is at present so much out of fashion, that a lady is very well off, who can get any husband at all. 1834 J. S. Mill in Monthly Repos. 8 590 The increased mildness of prison-discipline has made our gaols..places where the prisoner is actually too comfortable, and too well off. 1882 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 660 Exceedingly well off are tuberous and bulbous plants, whose under-ground perennial organs are protected from the influence of climate. 1902 Westm. Gaz. 18 Dec. 4/2 One is really just as well off with the musquash sealskin. 1952 Rotarian Aug. 15/2 In hearing he [sc. man] is seldom as well off as we [sc. dogs]. 2007 Europe: Quality Camping & Caravanning Sites 222 Caravan owners are well off here as they have a special section of 130 individual drive-through pitches. 2. Well provided with something specified; with plenty or enough of something. Chiefly with for (also †in).In later use probably influenced by sense A. 3. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > supply > [adjective] > provided or supplied with something > well-provided or supplied > with, in, or for something richc1175 repletec1384 strongc1450 ripe1579 wealthy1608 well off1775 rife1787 plus1808 well to pass1809 long on1929 1775 H. L. Thrale Jrnl. 16 Oct. in French Jrnls. Mrs. Thrale & Dr. Johnson (1932) 120 We are vastly well off for Friends. 1777 N. Brit. Intelligencer 15 Jan. 88/2 We were very well off for provisions. 1800 S. T. Coleridge Let. 14 Aug. (1956) I. 618 In gardens, etc we are uncommonly well off. 1879 G. Meredith Egoist I. viii. 136 We are well-off for wild flowers here. 1913 C. Hamilton Door that has no Key i. xvi. 88 Well, at any rate I'm very well off for shoes. 1950 Life 27 Feb. 26/2 When it comes to ships, the Navy is not so well off. 2009 A. Bell tr. M. Toussaint-Samat Hist. Food (ed. 2) 417 China is well off for salt deposits too. 3. In a favourable or comfortable financial situation; with enough money to afford a good standard of living; in a position characterized variously (according to context) by sufficient or great wealth; well-to-do.In later use frequently interpreted as an adjective; cf. sense C. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > wealth > [adverb] > well-off wella1375 well off1812 well in1845 1812 Edinb. Rev. July 228 Twenty years ago, a man was as well off with three hundred a-year as he now is with five. 1843 R. S. Surtees Handley Cross I. ii. 33 He was pretty well off, that is to say, he had more than he spent. 1889 ‘J. S. Winter’ Mrs. Bob i He was rich (or at least certainly well off). 1936 E. von Arnim All the Dogs of my Life i. 16 My father..was extremely parsimonious while he was well off, and only became freehanded when banks smashed and he grew poor. 1991 A. Granger Season for Murder (1992) xii. 285 I don't just mean she was well off, I mean she was seriously wealthy! 2009 Financial Times 28 Nov. (Fine Times Mag.) 13/2 Even for those who are as well off as ever they were, over the top isn't cool. B. n. With the and plural agreement. People who are well off, considered as a class; the wealthy. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > wealth > [noun] > rich or wealthy person > well-off person or people subsidy man1591 subsidy citizen1607 well-to-passer1654 well to pass1695 havea1739 have-something1755 best off1824 well off1828 well-to-do1829 better-to-do1860 kulak1877 better off1895 have-got1897 1828 Lit. Reg. (Oxford, Ohio) 1 Dec. 396/1 The reluctant—the backward sympathy..—the hesitating compliance—the well-off, are too apt to manifest to those of a little lower down. 1884 H. Spencer in Contemp. Rev. June 772 While to the well-off the exaction means loss of luxuries, to the ill-off it means loss of necessaries. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 301 The poor and hard-working are subject to mental upset during nursing in much larger numbers than the well-off. 1921 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 22 Jan. 128/1 The moderately well off would pay the cost of their treatment, and the well off would pay such a sum as would leave a profit to the hospital. 2010 Daily Tel. 26 Nov. 31/1 There have been attempts by ministers to suggest that the child benefit withdrawal will only affect the well-off. C. adj. (attributive). Usually in form well-off. Having enough money to afford a good standard of living; (sufficiently or extremely) wealthy; comfortably off, well-to-do. Also: characterized by or indicative of wealth.See note at sense A. 3. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > wealth > [adjective] > well-off wellc1405 sufficient1436 full?1483 suffisant1484 beina1525 warmc1571 well-breeched1571 meaned1605 well-meaned1605 well-lined1611 substanced?1614 well-circumstanced1643 forehanded1658 uppish1678 easy1701 brownstone1780 forehand1784 solid1788 well-to-do1794 snug1801 strong farmer1802 well-fixed1822 unindigent1830 well off1842 fixed1844 comfortably offc1850 heeled1871 well-heeled1871 well in1888 independent1893 1842 Christian Remembrancer Apr. 393 The well-off, comfortable parish minister. 1888 J. Payn in Illustr. London News 10 Mar. 236/1 A well-known and well-off man of letters. 1893 F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages Chester Pref. 49 A well-off widow. 1926 Amer. Mercury Mar. 324/1 Her father was George Moore, a moderately well off slave-owner. 1976 R. McDougall tr. A. Monnier Very Rich Hours vi. 335 I distinguish several middle-aged couples with a well-off appearance. 1999 S. Rushdie Ground beneath her Feet (2000) xiv. 419 The America in which I led my well-off, green-carded life. 2006 D. G. Schwartz Roll Bones ix. 186 Throngs of well-off health-seekers lounged near the springs. Phrases (not) to know when one is well off: (not) to know when one is in a favourable or advantageous situation; (not) to appreciate how fortunate one is. Also if you know when you are well off: (as a threat or warning to reinforce a direction) ‘if you know what is good for you’. ΚΠ 1722 S. Osborn Polit. & Social Lett. (1890) 24 Jack, I think, knows when he is well off, for he has taken up his rest at Danbury. a1754 H. Fielding Jrnl. Voy. Lisbon (1755) 223 A huge shark, who, not knowing when he was well off, swallowed another piece of beef. 1796 T. Morton Way to get Married i. i. 1 Why don't you go to the other inn? I'll tell you—because you know when you are well off, ha! ha! 1813 ‘H. Bull-Us’ Diverting Hist. John Bull & Brother Jonathan ii. 9 The old saying that a man don't know when he is well off. a1865 E. C. Gaskell Wives & Daughters (1866) I. i. 8 She was a silly little thing, and did not know when she was well off. 1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 15 Mar. 92/1 If you know when you're well off, keep your prating tongue between your teeth. 1910 Secret Service 30 Dec. 27/1 You will stop that noise if you know when you are well off. 1919 P. B. Kyne Green-pea Pirates xiv. 108 I was young an' foolish an' didn't know when I was well off. 1998 P. Lively Spiderweb (1999) iv. 41 You should know when you're well off, she said. There's plenty of mothers wouldn't give a damn. Derivatives well-ˈoffness n. the state or condition of being well off; (now) esp. wealth, prosperity. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > wealth > [noun] > state of being well-off warmness1399 competency1600 competence1738 well-to-do-ness1842 well-to-do-ism1848 well-offness1866 warmth1888 easy street1901 1866 M. Oliphant Madonna Mary I. vi. 79 Hesketh's well-off-ness..was trying to a man. a1916 H. James Sense of Past (1917) 289 His being in 1820 as ‘rich’ as he is, or was, in 1910—which counts for an immense well-offness at the earlier period. 1969 Amer. Econ. Rev. 59 473/2 Well-offness is maximized by an eight-hour day. 2003 Washington Times (Nexis) 25 Apr. b4 For a measure of well-offness, it would have made more sense to count the money people had left over to spend, save or invest. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adv.n.adj.1715
随便看	microfossil microfossils microfracture microfracturing microfuge microfungi microfungus microfunguses microgamete microgametes microgametocyte microgametocytes microgametophyte microgas analysis microgasometer microgasometric microgasometrically microgasometry microgenic microgeographic microgeographical microgeography microgeological microgeologist microgeology