why "off"?

[would not]

It's a bit confusing as it's an old English things were they would use both of and off together i.e. She picked it up off of the floor.

The term off as used in picking lists or numbers of parts to produced is better understood if you think about going to a stores and asking for a number of parts to be taken "off" the shelf or "removed"

So when you ask for 12 off washers. You would be asking for 12 to be removed from the box of washers..

At the end of the day it's just a term used/derived from a manufacturing back ground.

 

[Digit]

The English language is full of fascinating anomalies and contradictions.
Heres a few more that have been 'developed/corrupted' over the years.

Awful.
Curtsey.
Peculiar.
Gay.
Hussy.
Point blank.
Sniping.
Paedophile.
In some cases now meaning the reverse to their original usage.
The words 'off and of' probably have ancient roots as the F and FF as used in those examples are still current usage in Welsh.

Roy.

 

[promhandicam]

The English language is full of fascinating anomalies and contradictions. . . .

The verb to cleave is my personal favourite!

Steve

 

[Digit]

The one my teacher threw at us was 'antidisestablismentarianismists!!!'

More or less! :lol:

Roy.

 

[cambournepete]

Thanks for the info

 

[OPJ]

I haven't met many people in the trade who don't use 'Off'. All my former employers and tutors have used it. It's even rubbed off on me - I don't know why, but it feels more 'professional'!...

 

[studders]

As a phrase it's a 'one of'.

 

[devonwoody]

I was an office boy for an American engineering company and the term "off" was used by the Yanks in the 50's on their oil refining and ship building industry.

 

[misterfish]

By is still used.

How do the American's verbally say their quarter measurements - is it "over" ie 8/4?


Rod

From what I've seen they actually use 'quarter'; so 5/4 is called 'five quarter'.

In the case of 8/4 I think that will just be called 'two by' stock.

Misterfish

 

[OPJ]

By is still used.

How do the American's verbally say their quarter measurements - is it "over" ie 8/4?


Rod

From what I've seen they actually use 'quarter'; so 5/4 is called 'five quarter'.

In the case of 8/4 I think that will just be called 'two by' stock.

Misterfish

Norm and Marc Spagnuolo have always referred to it as "eight-quarter" in their shows. They may not like our metric system but it doesn't half as complicated as this! Why don't they just stick with inches?

 

[devonwoody]

They dont say 9/8 or do they?

 

[studders]

I was an office boy for an American engineering company and the term "off" was used by the Yanks in the 50's on their oil refining and ship building industry.

I was the general dogsbody for a building firm (in the hols) when I were going through college in the 70's. They used 'off' too, quite frequently, normally paired with another word which I can't recall just now.

 

[Digit]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Roy.

 

[cambournepete]

I was an office boy for an American engineering company and the term "off" was used by the Yanks in the 50's on their oil refining and ship building industry.

That usage hasn't passed to my American IT colleagues.
Often it's same words, different language.
They'd never even heard "clear as mud" until I used it in a video conference this week...

 

[devonwoody]

They think a silencer is only used on a gun.

 

[Digit]

I've had a similar problem on another forum with a high percentage of American friends DW. One comment that raised much laughter was my reference to 'a fiddler's elbow!'

Roy.