Why do people say "off" referring to quantity?

[Retro_Jim]

I have had the same debate when raising BOM's - I just get told "that's the way we've always done it"

You can then see the old boys reminisce about the good old days when things were done proper.

[crofty1984]

sebdangerfield said:

WTF were you searching for to pick up, and comment on a thread as boring as this that’s not been commented on for 9 years!?

"Video material featuring two young (but not too young) ladies and a candle, suitable for a chap to tug one off to"

Maybe. :-p

[Hard-Drive]

Similar to the manufacturing thing above, I'd heard it was also to do with sawing wood...possibly from Nelson's time. A piece of timber would be placed on the sawpit and the shipwrights be told to take 3 pieces measuring 2 feet OFF the piece of timber. The instruction would be "wooden posts, 2 foot in length, 3 off"

However, although you've specified your "wooden posts, 3 off", if someone then asks you how many wooden posts you now have, you have 3 "of" them. "Off" is more of a once only instruction, not a collective noun. You can't have 3 off them.

[Wacky Racer]

I've always wondered this too but was afraid to ask.....

[anonymous-user]

crofty1984 said:

sebdangerfield said:

WTF were you searching for to pick up, and comment on a thread as boring as this that’s not been commented on for 9 years!?

"Video material featuring two young (but not too young) ladies and a candle, suitable for a chap to tug one off to"

Maybe. :-p

That’s acceptable then. I was worried for a bit you may have been using the internet wrong.

[crankedup]

I’ll have three of them off you mate, ta very much.

[baconsarney]

That's it for me on this thread... I'm of.....

[Cheeses of Nazareth]

I asked the same question of my apprentice trainer on my first day as an engineer.

He gave a perfect explanation, which I have repeated many times over the years.

'Because that is what it fking is'

[Steamer]

Cheeses of Nazareth said:

I asked the same question of my apprentice trainer on my first day as an engineer.

He gave a perfect explanation, which I have repeated many times over the years.

'Because that is what it fking is'

end thread.

Next...

[Glade]

Holy thread resurrection batman!

Since I last saw this thread I have lived in 5 off houses, done 5 off jobs, 1 off marriage, 1 off divorce and had about 3 off girlfriends.

I thought I'd wasted my 30's but looking back it's been pretty productive really.

[The spinner of plates]

Jasey_ said:

I quite like this explanation ;

"The correct reason for this, is so the Engineer can be sure no information is missing from the quantity instruction. If it read ‘1 of’ it could be missing ‘1 of 3’ so missing the number 3. Hence producing the wrong amount. Having the word of with an extra ‘f’ clearly shows it’s say ...24 off
Not 24 of and a missing number example ‘ 24 of 50.
I hope this make it clear."

From here;
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/385024...

My old dad was an engineer.

This is exactly the explanation he gave me.

[Ambleton]

I'm a motosport design engineer and I've only ever seen/known "off" when talking about quantities of machined, turned, laser or water jet cut components.

I always assumed it meant we need (X quantity) off the machine. Its never bothered me.

However the provided description makes perfect sense.

[Gary C]

So why do cooking wkers say

'just going to cook it off'

off !, off what ?

almost as bad as the word 'space' in anything remotely to do with houses.

Perils of shift work, you often end up zombie like watching crap afternoon TV after a set of nights.

[Pit Pony]

Glade said:

I work in Manufacturing and when ordering components, subcontract fabrications etc we always order "3 off" when we want 3 parts.

It has always been this way in every company that I've worked in, but it just occurred to me I don't understand why.

Over to the grammar police

It's off. Because it's 3 off the machine. 3 off the supplier. 3 off the shelf.

Day one of a Manufacturing Engineering HND in 1985 at Coventry Polytechnic.
Learnt the definition of Just In Time. And Lean, before lean was used. And the reason it was Off not of.

[remedy]

Wow. I'd also been in engineering 10 years when this thread started. Now it's knocking on for 20 years

[Cheeses of Nazareth]

With 40 years almost , in engineering, i miss the proper draughtsmen , today i am plagued by people that can work a mouse , so they think they are a designer, when they cant even produce a basic geometric drawing.

Or understand what 'off' means.

[john2443]

'Off' makes perfect sense to me having started in manufacturing 40+ years ago.

The one that bugs me is '4 No' items on building drawings etc, what's that all about?