[kuhf] 
| 1. | a fold or band serving as a trimming or finish for the bottom of a sleeve. |
| 2. | a turned-up fold, as at the bottom of a trouser leg. |
| 3. | the part of a gauntlet or long glove that extends over the wrist. |
| 4. | a separate or detachable band or piece of fabric worn about the wrist, inside or outside of the sleeve. |
| 5. | an elasticized, ribbed, or reinforced band at the top of a sock or stocking. |
| 6. | 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. |
| 7. | a handcuff. |
| 8. | Anatomy. a bandlike muscle or group of muscles encircling a body part. |
| 9. | 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. |
| 11. | to make a cuff or cuffs on: to cuff a pair of trousers. |
| 12. | to put handcuffs on. |
| 13. | off the cuff, Informal.
|
| 14. | on the cuff, Slang.
|
| cuff 1 (kŭf) n.
[Middle English cuffe, mitten.] |
cuff
|
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.
on the cuff
On credit, as in He tried to hire a detective on the cuff. It is sometimes put as put on the cuff, meaning "extend credit to," as in They asked to be put on the cuff until they got their monthly check. This usage probably alludes to the practice of recording bar tabs on the bartender's cuff. Also see off the cuff. [Slang; 1920s]
Free of charge, as in We hope these drinks are on the cuff. [Slang; 1920s] Also see on the house.
