ready for the off

adjective

Ready for action; set to go; good to go.

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Meanings

adjectiveready for the off (not comparable)
  1. IrelandUKnot comparableReady for action; set to go; good to go.

    Tullamore ready for the off(title)

    2010 July 27, Caitriona Murphy, “Tullamore ready for the off”, in independent.ie, archived from the original on 24 Apr 2023
    3 more examples

    Bradford West byelection almost ready for the off(title)

    2012 March 12, Martin Wainwright, “Bradford West byelection almost ready for the off”, in TheGuardian, archived from the original on 12 Oct 2015

    "My thoughts exactly I said, so I am going to get ready for the off", now getting ready for the off meant taking off your pads and your whites (trousers) removing your jockstrap and box, pitting your trousers back on, packing your bag, and you were ready to go.

    2013 June 25, Basil Jay, Sliding Down the Bannisters of Life, page 67

    Both aircraft began to lean forward against the brakes, like greyhounds ready for the 'off'.

    2017, Richard Pike, Phantom Boys Volume 2

Origin

From the notion that horses, greyhounds and racegoers that are ready for the off (beginning) of a race are ready for the action that subsequently follows.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ready for the off. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ready%20for%20the%20off

MLA

“ready for the off.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ready%20for%20the%20off. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ready for the off,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ready%20for%20the%20off.

Source: ready for the off on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.