tee off
noun
1.
Golf.
a.
Also called teeing ground. the starting place, usually a hard mound of earth, at the beginning of play for each hole.
b.
a small wooden, plastic, metal, or rubber peg from which the ball is driven, as in teeing off.
2.
Football. a device on which the ball may be placed to raise it off the ground preparatory to kicking.
verb (used with object)
Verb phrases 3.
Golf. to place (the ball) on a tee.
4.
tee off,
a.
Golf. to strike the ball from a tee.
b.
Slang. to reprimand severely; scold: He teed off on his son for wrecking the car.
c.
Informal. to begin: They teed off the program with a medley of songs.
d.
Baseball, Softball. to make many runs and hits, especially extra-base hits: teeing off for six runs on eight hits, including three doubles and a home run.
e.
Baseball, Softball. to hit (a pitched ball) hard and far: He teed off on a fastball and drove it into the bleachers.
f.
Boxing. to strike with a powerful blow, especially to the head: He teed off on his opponent with an overhand right.
g.
Slang. to make angry, irritated, or disgusted: She was teed off because her dinner guests were late.
Origin:
1665–75; origin uncertain
1665–75; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To tee off
Collins
World English Dictionary
tee1 (tiː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a pipe fitting in the form of a letter T, used to join three pipes |
| 2. | a metal section with a cross section in the form of a letter T, such as a rolled-steel joist |
| 3. | any part or component shaped like a T |
00:10
Tee off
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| tee2 (tiː) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Also called: teeing ground an area, often slightly elevated, from which the first stroke of a hole is made |
| 2. | a support for a golf ball, usually a small wooden or plastic peg, used when teeing off or in long grass, etc |
| —vb (when intr, | |
| 3. | to position (the ball) ready for striking, on or as if on a tee |
| [C17 teaz, of unknown origin] | |
| tee3 (tiː) | |
| —n | |
| a mark used as a target in certain games such as curling and quoits | |
| [C18: perhaps from T-shaped marks, which may have originally been used in curling] | |
| tee off | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | golf to strike (the ball) from a tee, as when starting a hole |
| 2. | informal to begin; start |
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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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
tee
in golf, 1721, back-formation from teaz (1673), taken as a plural; a Scottish word of uncertain origin. The original form was a little heap of sand. The verb meaning "place a ball on a golf tee" is recorded from 1673; fig. sense of "to make ready" (usually with up) is recorded from 1938. Teed off in
the fig. sense of "angry, annoyed" is first recorded 1953, probably as a euphemism for p(iss)ed off.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
tee (so) off definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
| tee T-shirt |
| TEE transesophageal echocardiography |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
tee off
-
Start or begin, as in We teed off the fundraising drive with a banquet. This usage is a metaphor taken from golf, where tee off means "start play by driving a golf ball from the tee." [Second half of 1900s]
-
Make angry or irritated, as in That rude comment teed him off, or I was teed off because it rained all weekend. [Slang; mid-1900s] Also see tick off.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Nearby Words
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