The questions no way touch upon puritanism, either off or on.
Bp. Sanderson.
From off, off from; off. "A live coal . . . taken with the tongs from
off the altar." Is. vi. 6. -- Off and on. (a) Not constantly; not
regularly; now and then; occasionally. (b) (Naut.) On different tacks,
now toward, and now away from, the land. -- To be off. (a) To depart;
to escape; as, he was off without a moment's warning. (b) To be
abandoned, as an agreement or purpose; as, the bet was declared to be
off. [Colloq.] -- To come off, To cut off, To fall off, To go off, etc.
See under Come, Cut, Fall, Go, etc. -- To get off. (a) To utter; to
discharge; as, to get off a joke. (b) To go away; to escape; as, to get
off easily from a trial. [Colloq.] -- To take off, to mimic or
personate. -- To tell off (Mil.), to divide and practice a regiment or
company in the several formations, preparatory to marching to the
general parade for field exercises. Farrow. -- To be well off, to be in
good condition. -- To be ill off, To be badly off, to be in poor
condition.
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Off (?), interj. Away; begone; -- a command to depart.
Off, prep. Not on; away from; as, to be off one's legs or off the bed;
two miles off the shore. Addison.
Off hand. See Offhand. -- Off side (Football), out of play; -- said
when a player has got in front of the ball in a scrimmage, or when the
ball has been last touched by one of his own side behind him. -- To be
off color, to be of a wrong color. -- To be off one's food, to have no
appetite. (Colloq.)
Off, a. 1. On the farther side; most distant; on the side of an animal
or a team farthest from the driver when he is on foot; in the United
States, the right side; as, the off horse or ox in a team, in
distinction from the nigh or near horse or ox; the off leg.
2. Designating a time when one is not strictly attentive to business or
affairs, or is absent from his post, and, hence, a time when affairs
are not urgent; as, he took an off day for fishing: an off year in
politics. "In the off season." Thackeray.
Off side. (a) The right hand side in driving; the farther side. See
Gee. (b) (Cricket) See Off, n.
Off, n. (Cricket) The side of the field that is on the right of the
wicket keeper.
Of"fal (?), n. [Off + fall.] 1. The rejected or waste parts of a
butchered animal.