off-the-cuff

[ awf-thuh-kuhf, of- ]
See synonyms for off-the-cuff on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. with little or no preparation; extemporaneous; impromptu: a speaker with a good off-the-cuff delivery.

Origin of off-the-cuff

1
First recorded in 1940–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

Other Idioms and Phrases with off-the-cuff

off-the-cuff

Impromptu, extemporaneous, as in His speech was entirely off the cuff. This term supposedly alludes to the practice of speakers making last-minute notes on the cuff of a shirtsleeve. [1930s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.