clear off

present singular third person clears off · participle present clearing off · participle past cleared off · past cleared off

1. imperativeinformaloftenTo leave abruptly; scram.

   I cleared off to Melbourne by train, feeling not a little important, because with my own money I had bought my first train fare.

   1933, Frank Clune, Try Anything Once, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 31

2. To clear the table.

   “I clear off at ten,” she said. “The dishes are supposed to be back on the shelves. […]

   1959, Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

3. idiomaticinformalTo pay off debts.

   I hope you clear off your bill before you leave.

4. transitiveTo clear or complete (a backlog of work).

   As a matter of fact, my secretary reads to me. I mark what I want to hear and when he comes at ten o'clock we clear off the morning papers in no time.

   1914, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados