beat off
verb1
Figuratively, Often To drive something away with blows or military force.
- ...which Action did not so much grieve the English, as trouble and vex the Picts and Scots, who were incessantly gauled and frequently beat off by these Danish Troops.1697, Carradoc Of Lhancarvan, The history of Wales, page 33:
- First reports were that the Reds, in five gunboats and swarms of junks, succeeded in landing on tiny Wuchiu in Formosa Strait, but were beaten off with many captured.1954 November 27, “Red Assault on Tiny Isle Beaten Off, Say Nationalists”, in The Daily Colonist, volume 96, number 294, Victoria, British Columbia, page 1, column 6:
2 more examples
- (Betty) Did you have any trouble rescuing me? (Archie) I sure did, Betty! I had to beat off three other guys!1968 September 23, Betty & Me, volume 16, Archie Comics, front cover:
- London Liverpool Street beat off stiff competition to be highly commended in this category, despite having had no major redevelopment for three decades.2021 September 22, “National Rail Awards 2021: London Liverpool Street - Network Rail”, in RAIL, number 940, page 47:
2
Canada, US, Colloquial, Idiomatic, Vulgar To masturbate by stimulating one's own penis.
- Example 1: "I don't need a girlfriend. I just need some swimsuit catalogs, so I can beat off six or seven times a day."2003, David Burke, The Slangman guide to dirty English: dangerous expressions Americans use, page 13:
3
Colloquial, Idiomatic, Vulgar To waste time.
- I beat off at work all day; I didn't get anything done.