A Dictionary of Cont..

such a sentence as It may have been a coincidence,
of course, but if it were it was certainly
an extraordinary one, it is hard to see what
purpose of course serves more than a rhythmic
pause or a pompous clearing of the throat.
off. Originally off was the word of pronounced
emphatically. The same difference between a v
and an f sound can be heard today in the
auxiliary verb have, which we sometimes pronounce
hafl. Speaking matter-of-factly, we might
say Z have to leave, but when we are insisting
we say Z huff to leave. For many centuries this
was the only difference between of and off. (See
of.) But eventually the words became independent.
Of kept the vaguer genitive meanings
and is now used only as a preposition, that is,
it is used only with an object. Off kept the older
meaning of separation or removal from contact
with, and can be used as a preposition, as in
lift it off the shelf; an adverb, as in Z can’t get
it off; or an adjective, as in an off season.
In he bought it of7 a peddler, off expresses
the genitive idea of source. This use of the word
is still acceptable in Great Britain but not in
the United States. In we can make a meal of7
sandwiches, off expresses the genitive idea of
material. This is acceptable only in statements
about eating. All other meanings of off are
derived from the idea of separation and imply
a discontinuity of some kind.
Ofl is related by its meaning to from and by
its history to of. Formerly ofi was often followed
by of, as in lift it off of the shelf, make
a meal off of sandwiches. This construction is
still used by educated people in the United
States but is not so used in Great Britain. OfJ
can always be followed by from when the idea
of separation is involved, as in we got of.7 from
work. The combination o# from is heard in
Great Britain more often than it is in the United
States. Actually neither of nor from is ever
necessary after off. We can say simply off the
shelf, of,7 sandwiches, ofi work. This is the preferred
construction in the United States, but
the compounds are also acceptable.
offensive. See insidious.
offer. This verb may be followed by an infmitive,
as in Z offered to go in his place. It is also heard
with the -ing form of a verb, as in Z offered
going in his place, but the infinitive is preferred.
office (in the sense of position). See assignment.
o5cer, in the commonest contemporary sense of
the word, is one who holds a position of rank
or authority in the army, navy, or any similar
organization, especially one who holds a commission
(The unit consisted of three officers and
thirty men. Every time an enlisted man sees an
oficer get an extra privilege, it breaks him down
a little more), though there are also petty officers,
warrant officers, and noncommissioned
officers. In its broadest sense, oficer designates
one who is invested with an office. There are
corporation officers and municipal officers, 05cers
on a ship (these are more like army and
navy officers) and peace officers. It is in this last
category that policemen fall and the addressing
of a policeman as oficer is more a slight
archaism than the compliment it is often thought
to be. Every policeman is an officer of the law
and may be addressed as officer, but with the
introduction into most police forces now of a
gradation of rank similar to and modeled after
that of the army, the word is coming to be
applied to those in the force who hold ranks
equal to those that would cause their holders
in the army to be considered officers. The
chances are that this tendency will increase with
the increasing gradation of the police forces.
If so, a new polite form of address for the
common policeman will have to be found.
olcial; officious. Ofhcial means of or pertaining
to an office or position of duty, trust, or authority
(His oficial powers were quite limited),
authorized or issued authoritatively (The oficial
report was eagerly awaited), holding office
(He had no oficial capacity), appointed or authorized
to act in a special capacity (He was at
the convention as an ofhcial delegate).
O&ions formerly meant ready to serve,
ready to exercise one’s appointed function.
When Dr. Johnson in his elegy on his friend
Robert Levett (1782) referred to Levett as
oficious, innocent, sincere, he did not mean
that Levett (who was a sort of amateur doctor)
was meddlesome or intrusive but simply that
he was always willing to help. It is a sad commentary
on human nature, on either the vanity
of many who give or the ingratitude of many
who receive aid, that the word now connotes
forwardness in offering help, a fussy obtrusion
of unwanted assistance (This oficious bustling
about, with here a nod and there a gesture of
encouragement, was vastly annoying to most
of those present).
Generalizing on current usage, one can say
that oficial is a general descriptive term, oficious
an emotionally charged term imputing
blame. In diplomatic usage, however, ofbcious
has a distinctly different meaning. Ofjiciul in
diplomatic usage retains its usual sense of formal,
authorized; but oficious, with no connotation
of meddlesomeness, *means informal,
unauthorized, not binding-the very antithesis
of oficial.
offspring is properly plural (The offspring of this
union were five boys and three girls). It has
been used so much as a singular, .however
(Have you ever met our offspring, Jimmy,
girls?), that this usage is accepted as standard,
though it usually has a touch of the labored or
facetious about it. The word is used of a child
or animal in relation to its parent or parents
or to designate a descendant or descendants
collectively. By extension the word may mean
the product, result or effect of something
(Xanadu was supposedly the offspring of an
opium dream).
often and frequently may be used interchangeably
in most contexts but, where they differ, often
is simpler and stronger. It suggests numerous
repetitions and, sometimes, regularity of recurrence
(I often visit my uncle who lives there).
Frequently suggests repetition at short inter-