Egbert White wrote:
>
> On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:30:41 +0000, Frederick Williams
> <frederick.williams2@tesco.net> wrote:
>
> >gustavfenk@googlemail.com wrote:
> >>
> >> Which is the correct word to use, "of" or "off", when listing
> >> quantities? I often see "off" used and it just looks wrong. For
> >> example -
> >>
> >> "Six-inch widgets - 4 off"
> >>
> >> shouldn't it be "4 of", with this being a shortened form of "4 of
> >> (those)" ?
> >
> >No. "Off" is technical usage in this case and so may not square with
> >everyday idioms.
>
> Okay, so what does it mean in that context?
"Six-inch widgets - 4 off" means "Four six-inch widgets."
--
But you see, I can believe a thing without understanding it.
It's all a matter of training.
--Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy L Sayers' _Have His Carcase_
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