on cuff

noun

a fold or band serving as a trimming or finish for the bottom of a sleeve.

a turned-up fold, as at the bottom of a trouser leg.

the part of a gauntlet or long glove that extends over the wrist.

a separate or detachable band or piece of fabric worn about the wrist, inside or outside of the sleeve.

an elasticized, ribbed, or reinforced band at the top of a sock or stocking.

a band of leather or other material, wider than a collar, sewed around the outside of the top of a shoe or boot to serve as a trimming or finish.

a handcuff.

Anatomy. a bandlike muscle or group of muscles encircling a body part.

Furniture. a horizontal strip of veneer used as an ornament on a leg.

10.

Medicine/Medical. an inflatable wrap placed around the upper arm and used in conjunction with a device for recording blood pressure.

verb (used with object)

11.

to make a cuff or cuffs on: to cuff a pair of trousers.

12.

to put handcuffs on.

00:10

On cuff is always a great word to know.

So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Idioms

13.

off the cuff, Informal.

extemporaneously; on the spur of the moment.

unofficially or informally: I'm telling you this strictly off the cuff.

14.

on the cuff, Slang.

with the promise of future payment; on credit.

without charge; with no payment expected: He enjoyed his meal the more because it was on the cuff.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English cuffe mitten; perhaps akin to Old English cuffie cap < Medieval Latin cuphia coif

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To on cuff

Collins

World English Dictionary

cuff¹ (kʌf)

—n
1.	the part of a sleeve nearest the hand, sometimes turned back and decorative
2.	the part of a gauntlet or glove that extends past the wrist
3.	(US), (Canadian), (Austral) Also called (in eg Britain): turn-up the turned-up fold at the bottom of some trouser legs
4.	informal off the cuff improvised; extemporary

[C14 cuffe glove, of obscure origin]

cuff² (kʌf)

—vb
1.	(tr) to strike with an open hand

—n
2.	a blow of this kind

[C16: of obscure origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

cuff

mid-14c., cuffe "hand covering," perhaps somehow from M.L. cuffia "head covering," of uncertain origin. Sense of "band around the sleeve" is first attested 1520s; sense of "hem of trousers" is 1911. Off the cuff "extemporaneously" is 1938 Amer.Eng. colloquial, suggesting an actor or speaker reading from

notes jotted on his shirt sleeves rather than learned lines. Cuff links is from 1897.

cuff

"hit," 1530, perhaps from Sw. kuffa "to thrust, push."

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

cuff (kŭf)
n.

A bandlike structure encircling a part.
An inflatable band, usually wrapped around the upper arm, that is used along with a sphygmomanometer in measuring arterial blood pressure.

Slang Dictionary

cuff definition

tv.
to put a charge on one's bill. : Would you cuff this for me, please?

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Matching Quote

"A sweet disorder in the dress
Kindles in clothes a wantonness:
A lawn about the shoulders thrown
Into a fine distraction:
An erring lace, which here and there
Enthralls the crimson stomacher:
A cuff neglectful, and thereby
Ribbands to flow confusedly:
A winning wave (deserving note)
In the tempestuous petticoat:
A careless shoestring, in whose tie
I see a wild civility:
Do more bewitch me than when art
Is too precise in every part."

-Robert Herrick

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