strip off

present singular third person strips off · participle present stripping off · participle past stripped off · past stripped off

1. transitiveTo remove anything by stripping, e.g. items of clothing or paint from the side of a ship.

   1713, Alexander Pope translation of Homer Odyssey read at Project Gutenberg Strip off thy garments; Neptune's fury brave / With naked strength, and plunge into the wave.

   4 more examples

   As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   We cut down pine trees and then had to strip off all the bark.

   2006, James Mills Hill, I Have Been Blessed!: Hard Work and Happiness

   In addition, if you strip off the overtime, you can't tell that you have problems, as was shown at the beginning of this chapter.

   2006, James P. Lewis, Project Planning, Scheduling & Control, A Hands-On Guide to Bringing Projects in on Time and on Budget, fourth edition

   Victor sat on a rock and tried to strip off his waders, his body shaking so much that he couldn't get a decent grip.

   2006, William Scarborough, Baked Alaskan

2. IrelandUKidiomaticintransitiveTo remove all of one's clothes (or sometimes to remove all except underclothes, or figuratively).

   I cannot remember whose idea it was that we should strip off to our underclothing and go into the coolness of the stream.

   2006, Ernest Millington, Was That Really Me?

   3 more examples

   Your trees of Pine Hill, which persevere in being green the year round, do not please so much as those which strip off in November,and put on their green and flowery robes in April.

   1847, John Sanderson, The American in Paris

   A night when you strip off and sit down to gasp and pant for a breath of air; such a night is never experienced in Kansas.

   1871, Clinton Carter Hutchinson, Resources of Kansas: Fifteen Years Experience

   The other recruits started to undress where they stood but Ledanseur was too embarrassed to strip off in front of his new comrades. He went into the shower block and undressed there.

   2006, Mike Edwards, Friendly Fire

3. intransitiveTo be removed by stripping.

   The feathers strip off much more easily and cleanly while the bird is yet warm.

   1864, Robert Jennings, Sheep, Swine, and Poultry

   1 more example

   On an old plant, this tends to strip off in long, tough, stringy lumps, a bit like short lengths of raffia.

   2005, Chris Baines, How To Make A Wildlife Garden