throw off meaning: definition, quotations

throw off

verbalso spelled throw-off

11 senses

1To confuse; especially, to lose a pursuer.
2To introduce errors or inaccuracies; to skew.
3Of a horse, to eject its rider.
4To fling away.
5To expel, reject, or renounce.
6To split off.
7To give forth in an unpremeditated manner.
8To deduct from a price in order to compensate for problems.
9To remove (clothing) haphazardly and tossing it on the floor.
10To insult or verbally abuse (someone).
11Synonym of bear off.

Idiomatic To confuse; especially, to lose a pursuer.

I never saw her without glasses before, so it threw me off when she got contact lenses.
"Then," said the tinker, "maybe the thing for us to do would be to go by queer ways, by bohereens and the like of that, and for us to get of the straight road to Rathmoon, the way that no-one will find us except the tinkers, for we can't throw off them."1940, Lord Dunsany, The Story of Mona Sheehy, page 170:

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"Well," he said as they reached the livery, "we could go north or throw them off our trail. That would add a day to our trip, though."1999, Jon Sharpe, Trailsman 207: Chimney Rock Burial:

Idiomatic To introduce errors or inaccuracies; to skew.

The dirt in the apparatus threw off the results.
“Varying the speeds of your pitches to throw off the timing of the hitter is much more important than it used to be,” Yankees righthander David Cone says.2011, Tom Verducci, Inside Baseball: The Best of Tom Verducci:

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Too much activity one day can throw off my blood sugar as much as if I am not active the next.2020, Max Domi, No Days Off: My Life with Type 1 Diabetes and Journey to the NHL, page 54:

Of a horse, to eject its rider.

To fling away.

Long before the tidal wave had again grwon sufficiently high to throw off spray, the spray last thrown off would have passed beyond its reach.1882 March 11, Richard A. Proctor, “The Vistas of the Past: The Moon and the Earth”, in The Living Age, volume 152, page 813:
It was conceded on the final hearing and is shown by the proof, and I find as a fact that, while this rapid revolution of the cans fresh from the solder bath would throw off superflous^([sic]) solder, it would frequently throw off too much at points so as to leave unsoldered places, causing leaks .1910, The Federal Reporter - Volume 180, page 423:

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The requirements of the traffic necessitate not only solidly contructed iron-covered snow-sheds, but massive snow-ploughs to throw off the track the deep snow which could no other way be prevented from interrupting the working of the line .2018, Robert Routledge, Discoveries and Inventions of the Ninteenth Century, page 123:

To expel, reject, or renounce.

Silver is gotten thus, They take the Ore and dry it, then they burn it, and powder it very fine, they dilute it with Water, and throw off the light Powder that swims at Top, by decanting gently:1727, Edward Strother, Materia Medica, page 196:
Moreover, during the progress of disease, nothing assists more the powers of the constitution, which tends toward health, and to throw off the enemy, than a cheerful and hopeful mind; as the people call it, a "good spirit;"1852, Spencer Thomson, A Dictionary of Domestic Medicine and Household Surgery, page 194:

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They generally shut the mill down a little (when the belts are to be thrown off), and you have to take the belt in your hand and throw it off.1914, Reports of Cases Decided in the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon:
If you don't have enough crew, just throw off everything except the stern line, then bring that in as you engage gear.2011, Tom Cunliffe, The Complete Day Skipper:
Now it would be too much to say that the New Zealand novelist has to get completely out from under the shadow of these great men—nevertheless it is true that he must endeavour to throw off their influence, insofar as it may hinder him from attempting to grapple with the New Zealand scene.2013, Frank Sargeson, Conversation in a Train and Other Critical Writings:
We might expect Paul to tell the colossians to throw off the same sins that they were to necrotize, but instead he provides a new list of five sins which need to be removed.2017, David J. Landegent, Colossians: A Commentary:

To split off.

And when what is called the black sap is descending the tree, the bark taken off is black, and loses its original color; and at this time also the bark begins to throw off a scurf , more especially young bark without much cork on it ; this outer skin having less of the proper sap or juice , and being much drier when taken off , will weigh less , and consequently will not be so valuable .1824, John Claudius Loudon, An Encyclopaedia of Gardening, page 968:
The Reviewer states: "Bellal told Major Denham that the KOWARA did not throw off a branch at Boussa, but that a CONFLUENCE of branches took place at Boussa, the one from the south and the other from the NORTHWEST."1826 June, “Geography of Central Africa: Denham and Clapperton's Journals”, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, volume 19, page 700:

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This is the branch of the Midland Division of the L.M.S.R. from Garsdale to Hawes, incidentally the only branch thrown off by the Settle and Carlisle main line in the 73 miles of its length from Settle junction to Petteril junction, Carlisle.1941 March, “Notes and News: Railway Isolation in the Pennines”, in Railway Magazine, page 140:
That is the case with many bulbous plants, which throw off in this way secondary bulbs, which are lodged in the ground and become developed into plants.2022, Thomas Henry Huxley, Lectures and Essays:

To give forth in an unpremeditated manner.

Then when the work train comes along it will be an easy matter to throw off the required number, almost in place.1904, Walter Mason Camp, Notes on Track: Construction and Maintenance - Volume 2, page 720:

To deduct from a price in order to compensate for problems.

Now , wasn't it the understanding that you and Hall together were to throw off two thousand dollars from the amount, or from your interest in bid?1885, Journal of the Senate of the State of Ohio - Volume 81, page 182:
Mr. Parsons came in to see me about the matter, and wanted to know what I would throw off from the mortgage. I told him I wouldn't throw off one cent, and I had no reason why I should throw off anything, that I was protected.1897, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division Third Dept. Vol. 72, page 36:

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I wanted him to throw off $1.25 an acre for the land not plowed.1915, The Northwestern Reporter - Volume 152:

Informal To remove (clothing) haphazardly and tossing it on the floor.

She threw off her coat.

Australia, Slang To insult or verbally abuse (someone).

Backgammon, Games Synonym of bear off.

Related terms: chuck off

throw-off

noun

13 senses

1A start in a hunt or a race.
2A race in which a contestant is paid to deliberately lose.
3A control that engages or disengages part of the…
4A throw taken to resume play, such as after a goal or at…
5Income minus expenses and depreciation (before tax).
6A discount on a debt or invoice due to a problem with…
7The act of flinging or throwing something off.
8Something that is flung or thrown off.
9The deflection of a projectile at an angle.
10Something that has been discarded; a castoff.
11A red herring; something intended to throw people off.
12Something that is done, made, or said informally, on the…
13A byproduct, spinoff, or incidental creation.

UK A start in a hunt or a race.

We had not covered much more than three miles since the throw-off; but horses and hounds already exhibited a most interesting and picturesque tail.1870 July, Wat Bradwood, “Our Drag”, in The Sporting magazine, volume 69, page 122:
The sixty horsemen spread away for the start, the two pretty Amazons set their lips, a mob of peasants in blue blouses form a noisy fringing to the phaetons and barouches which have come to see the throw-off, and conspicuous amidst all this we have M. Pistache's roan, which, unable to stand the music of the horns, first jumps, then pivots on its hind legs, then springs off like a shot, well-nigh wrenching M. Pistache's arms out of their sockets.1874, Every Saturday, page 136:

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The 'throw-off' was at one o'clock, and the gallop lasted more than two hours and a half, so that the fox had a very long run.1903, Émile Zola, Rome, page 306:
On one occasion the meet was at Boughton House, the seat of the Duke of Buccleuch, when, just before the throw-off, the keeper requested Mr. Smith to come with him to see a curious matter.2017, Thomas Smith, Sporting Incidents in the Life of Another Tom Smith:
He would be available as a chaperon for the feminine division, as he did not intend to do more than canter a mile or two after the throw-off.2020, Rolf Boldrewood, Babes in the Bush:

A race in which a contestant is paid to deliberately lose.

Since the spring of 1863 there has never been a throw-off race, nor shall there ever be a race on the track for hippodroming; all must be on the square, as the club started it for their own fun and to work their horses on.1864, Spirit of the Times and the New York Sportsman, page 353:
By many it was thought to be a "throw off" race, and that Selaya did not do his best – I was inclined also to the opinion, although I may have been wrong1973, Alfred Doten, Walter Van Tilburg Clark, The Journals of Alfred Doten, 1849-1903, page 630:

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Fixed races, or "throw-offs, as they were called, were common enough to keep sprint running relegated to outlying areas during the 1870s.1994, Ted Vincent, The Rise and Fall of American Sport: Mudville's Revenge, page 44:
Given that the stakes on the side were always higher than on the main event itself, "throw-offs" ( fixed races ) were common, with the lowly paid hired athletic hands agreeing to throw a race for the right price; sometimes they would lay down for any price since they were often stiffed by the race backers anyway.1999, William Arthur Harper, How You Played the Game: The Life of Grantland Rice, page 51:

A control that engages or disengages part of the mechanism on a device without having to turn the device off.

I have seen a corporation erect a $60,000 building, including $500 expende in decorating the business office, and still do its job printing on ancient Degeners, unprovided with throw-offs or ink fountains, while the business manager was perplexed to see his competitors, provided with modern machinery, take long runs of presswork at prices he could not touch except at a considerable loss.1890, Karnac, “What I have seen”, in Inland Printer, American Lithographer, volume 8, page 868:
In air-brake mechanism, the combination, with the air-pump of a connecting-arm adapted to engage the piston-rod of said pump, a shifting frame for operating said connecting-arm, a throw-off bar for throwing said connecting arm out of engagement with said piston-rod, a pivot-rod and pivot-pin for sustaining said throw-off bar, a top plate for sustaining said throw-off bar, suitable springs for giving to said throw-off bar an elastic support, and suitable means for operating said throw-off bar, substantially as described.1892 February 9, Jacob B. Knudsen, “Air-Brake”, in Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office, page 679:

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A throw-off switch which would have derailed the cars if left undistubed was closed so as to lead the cars on the side track down a moderate grade, until it joined the main track.1894, Lawrence Lewis, Adelbert Hamilton, John Houston Merrill, The American and English Railroad Cases:
The chief difference between the two presses is that the Curtis press has an attachment known as the "trip" or "throw-off," which is used to prevent the embossing without stopping the machine when a sheet is improperly placed in the machine.1912, Reports of Civil and Criminal Cases Decided by the Court of .Appeals of Kentucky, page 513:
Make sure the snare throw-off is in the off (lowered) position and set the adjustment knob roughly midway between the tightest and loosest tension position.2017, Stewart Hoffman, The Band Teacher's Percussion Guide:

Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A throw taken to resume play, such as after a goal or at the start of a period.

When a player of the side having the throw-off at the center, crosses the halfway line ahead of the ball, he is "off-side" and the ball shall be called back for a second throw from a new line five yards back of the halfway line.1929, American Physical Education Review - Volume 34, page 306:
The teams shall alternate throw-offs at the beginning of each period.1979, Craig T. Norback, Peter G. Norback, The New American Guide to Athletics, Sports & Recreation, page 222:

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Thereafter, throw-offs occur after every goal.2003, Dorothy Zakrajsek, Lois Carnes, Frank E. Pettigrew, Quality Lesson Plans for Secondary Physical Education, page 574:
When a goal was scored, instead of lining up at their respective ends, the teams took up their positions, the forward lines being three feet from the center of the pond; and when starting the ball the centre forward of the team against whom the goal had been scored had the throw-off, but had to pass to either wing, and not back.2011, William Henry, Water Polo:
Precise and well-timed throw-offs are essential.2014, Chris Kroeger, Volleyball Drills:

Accounting, Business, Finance Income minus expenses and depreciation (before tax).

In the case of the single investment, both the tax payments and the quasi-rent throw-off would be only for the single investment being evaluated.1968, Richard Leo Pollock, The Tax Depreciation Problem, page 289:
If the expanded fund throw-offs "reflect success" of a company in terms of "profits," they should be shipped back to the Internal Revenue Service, to the company's employees, and to the company's supply vendors to whom they belong, from whom they have been borrowed by the company, and whose claims on the apparent company resource accrual accounting, as contrasted with "cash" accounting, attempts to faithfully recount.1975, Allan Craig, Counting Things and Magic Rings, page 150:

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Since the net cash throw-off is calculated using the accrual method of accounting employed on Form HUD - 92410, expenses included in the computation may not have been paid.1992, United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Reviewing Annual and Monthly Financial Reports, pages 2-76:
Net income after mortgage payments (cash throw-off) equals $3,394 ($10,000 NOI less $6,606).2009, Gary W. Eldred, Investing in Real Estate, page 23:

Broadly A discount on a debt or invoice due to a problem with the asset being paid for.

Then there is, I think, $25,000 extra allowed in the appropriation to pay for extra service at the rate of 4 cents per mile, where the amount of service is very great and the number of throw-offs very great.1913, United States. Congress. Joint Committee on Postage on Second-Class Mail Matter and Compensation for Transportation of Mail, Railway Mail Pay:
I was a little impressed with the categorical list of throw-offs that you wanted taken out of this bill.1950, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Banking and Currency, Bank Holding Bill, page 267:

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Can't last another month without a throw-off deal from pig 'cause Wengel 'buses the blind.1952, George Mandel, Flee the Angry Strangers, page 331:

The act of flinging or throwing something off.

Too much belt dressing gradually builds up lumps on belt and pulley surfaces, causes belt throw-offs, and may break belt lacing.1939, Leaflets, with Contents:
Although the dishpan is of small diameter, this irregular throw-off of ice could contribute to propeller unbalance in icing conditions particularly at higher fan speeds.1947, United States. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Technical Note - National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, page 9:

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How dangerous is it to the community at large in the sense of the throw-offs of gases and other chemical products?1980, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Department of the Interior and Related Agencies, Department of the Interior and Related Agencies, page 722:
After that, Beauty and I slowly developed an understanding. There were more fall-offs and throw-offs. The pace of travel picked up from walking to a tight-rein trot, then to a little loping canter for short distances.2006, Howard Jones, Dakotaland: Tales of the Territory, page 162:

Something that is flung or thrown off.

This oil throwing condition had two principle aspects: first, the oil was subjected to considerable windage by the action of the crankshaft; secondly, since it is necessary to circulate a large amount of oil through the engine due to large bearing clearances required for lubrication and cooling, this results in more throw-off.1995, Joseph Harralson ·, Design of Racing and High Performance Engines, page 230:
Many stellar mappers consider the planet to be one of a chain of widely spaced bridge stars linking the spiral arms of our galaxy with the Magellanic Clouds, which are throw-offs from our main system.2012, George Zebrowski, The Omega Point:

The deflection of a projectile at an angle.

You have to judge the angle of the throw-off and the impact point.1904, John Patrick Mannock, S. A. Mussabini, Billiards Expounded to All Degrees of Amateur Players, page 305:
The present study investigates the effects of in bore-yaw phenomenon on lateral throw-off and aerodynamic jump behavior for small caliber rotational symmetric (both in configuration and mass distribution) projectiles launched horizontally at supersonic firing speeds and various altitudes from high-subsonic air vehicles.2011, D. Gkritzapis, E. Panagiotopoulos, “In-Bore Yaw Effects on Lateral throwoff and Aerodynamic Jump Behavior for Small Caliber Projectiles Firing Sidewise from Air Vehicles”, in Ernest Baker, Douglas Templeton, editor, Ballistics 2011: 26th International Symposium, page 458:

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Their wider throw-off angle makes billiards a far less difficult game than it is with ivories.2013, Riso Levi, Billiards in the Twentieth Century:
Not only is this exact striking of the object-ball of the utmost importance for the throw-off of the cue-ball, but also in the matter of steering the object-ball to the desired after-positions.2016, Billiards - Screw, Side and Top:

Something that has been discarded; a castoff.

I say the younger Senators who got the throw-offs of everybody else.1947, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations, Hearings, page 2:
They returned home laden with throw-offs : the old clothes which the Jews had given them.2001, Elizabeth A. Wheeler, Uncontained: Urban Fiction in Postwar America, page 186:

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She knew how to live on the streets, find food from other people's throw-offs, find shelter beneath cardboard.2020, Charmaine Ross, Claimed by the Alien Space Pirate:
I'm there for the chicks, Mikey. You professional comdians get all the tail. I just want your throw-offs.2021, Thomas Cannon, Shattered:

A red herring; something intended to throw people off.

To protect against sign stealing, I employ a lot of what we call 'throw-offs', gestures after I have already given the sign which mean nothing but may fool the foe into thinking that one of them is a sign.1952, Collier's Once a Week - Volume 130, page 65:
He goes through a whole series of fake movements which make him look as if itching powder had been dumped inside his shirt, and mixed in with all the "throw-offs" is the genuine sign.1957 April, Stanley Pashko, “Inside Baseball”, in Boys' Life, volume 47, number 4, page 74:

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Lying on his bed, the night before starting his own two-day marathon of technique training, Herbie listened to the magnificent Mahler Eighth—the Symphony of a Thousand—and made the divisions in his mind: Anti-Surveillance, watching your own back; Throw-offs and Back-doubles; Misdirection; Emergency exists—just in case there was no other way.2013, John Gardner, The Quiet Dogs:

Something that is done, made, or said informally, on the side, or off-the-cuff.

Slight plays like Die Geschwister, or the brief comedies like Der Bürgergeneral, although based on potentially important Goethean themes, remain mere sketches from an artist's notebook; whilst the musical pieces and entertainments, brillian and charming, no doubt, are clever throw-offs of an enormously fertile poetic fancy.1970, Ronald Peacock, Goethe's Major Plays, page 207:
The third line should be a throw-off, e.g.: 'Hello.' 'Hello.' 'Groovy.' 'Yeah.' 'The lighting, I mean.' 'Oh, I thought you meant the music,'1975, Eric Berne, What Do You Say After You Say Hello?:, page 485:

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References (including those not furnished by applicant or employee.) These are known as throw-offs, and their names are obtained during interviews of references furnished by applicants or employees ).1979, United States. Department of the Army, Physical security, page 49:
These are a remarkable survival, made of fragile unfired, painted clay, the spontaneous throw-offs of a master who became famous as a lithographer rather than a sculptor.2010, Julian Spalding, The Best Art You've Never Seen, page 215:
Astley's characters, said White, were 'flimsy' or 'repulsive', 'throw-offs' from an 'impatient ego'.2015, Karen Lamb, Thea Astley: Inventing Her Own Weather, page 137:
The best books that we have for children are throw-offs from artists primarily concerned with adults , —Kipling and Stevenson stand in this group , —or child versions of adult literature , —from Charles and Mary Lamb down.2019, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, Here and Now Story Book: Two- to seven-year-olds:

A byproduct, spinoff, or incidental creation.

In terms of the way this question is worded, in responding to it I would have to say that nothing but the most liberal approach should be followed in order to advance this industry and its throw-offs to the United States and world economies.1992, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services, Department of Defense Authorization for Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1993, page 378:
Endless numbers of local variants, genetic throw-offs, or accidental recombinations provide individuality and occasionally superior quality.2011, Philip M. Wagner, Grapes into Wine, page 21:

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This spending had repercussions in the civilian sector as throw-offs,” ranging from airliners to digital dialing, became more common.2016, Robert Sobel, The Great Boom 1950-2000:
In Harris's interpretation of the evolutionary narrative, we seem to be nothing more than casual throw-offs, byproducts of a universe far greater than our imagination, a universe in which we are no more than thoughtless works of nature.2019, Kenneth R. Miller, The Human Instinct, page 3:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for throw off and throw-off.