See off the hook in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for off the hook meaning in English (5.6kB)
{
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_text": "An allusion to a fish caught on the hook of a fishing line.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "off the hook (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "28 33 28 4 7",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Telephony",
"orig": "en:Telephony",
"parents": [
"Electronics",
"Telecommunications",
"Technology",
"Communication",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "When the boss assigned the project to Tom, the rest of us were relieved to be off the hook.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "Without any evidence, the police had to let the suspect off the hook.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2023, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane",
"text": "Dom (David Jonsson): Tempting, but I think it's actually something I need to do. Like, I get what they did was peak, but I have to take some responsibility, you know?\nYas (Vivian Oparah): Like, not at all. You're gonna let them off the hook after how they treated you?",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure."
],
"id": "en-off_the_hook-en-adj-oAD8wA9k",
"links": [
[
"Relieve",
"relieve"
],
[
"duty",
"duty"
],
[
"burden",
"burden"
],
[
"responsibility",
"responsibility"
],
[
"pressure",
"pressure"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-off the hook.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/eb/En-au-off_the_hook.ogg/En-au-off_the_hook.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/En-au-off_the_hook.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "off the hook"
}
{
"etymology_number": 2,
"etymology_text": "Referring to the candlestick phone, which in order to hang up, the receiver must be hung on a hook. Leaving the receiver off the hook would prevent it from being able to receive calls.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
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"expansion": "off the hook (not comparable)",
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "28 33 28 4 7",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Telephony",
"orig": "en:Telephony",
"parents": [
"Electronics",
"Telecommunications",
"Technology",
"Communication",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "I think he left the phone off the hook so that nobody would call him.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of a telephone, having an open connection; not hung up."
],
"id": "en-off_the_hook-en-adj-HMyOsVpB",
"links": [
[
"telephone",
"telephone"
],
[
"open",
"open"
],
[
"connection",
"connection"
],
[
"hung up",
"hang up"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "28 33 28 4 7",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Telephony",
"orig": "en:Telephony",
"parents": [
"Electronics",
"Telecommunications",
"Technology",
"Communication",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The phone was ringing off the hook all night.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of a telephone, ringing frequently."
],
"id": "en-off_the_hook-en-adj-fHPozQpj",
"links": [
[
"ring",
"ring"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"word": "off the hook"
}
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "off the hizzle"
}
],
"etymology_number": 3,
"etymology_templates": [
{
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},
"expansion": "Unknown",
"name": "unk"
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],
"etymology_text": "Unknown.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "off the hook (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "off the chain"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "off the hooks"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "ring off the hook"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Sports",
"orig": "en:Sports",
"parents": [
"Human activity",
"Human behaviour",
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "That's five three-pointers in a row! Smith is off the hook!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Performing extraordinarily well."
],
"id": "en-off_the_hook-en-adj-33L~n67S",
"links": [
[
"sports",
"sports"
],
[
"Perform",
"perform"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, informal, sports) Performing extraordinarily well."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"informal",
"not-comparable"
],
"topics": [
"hobbies",
"lifestyle",
"sports"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "8 14 4 33 41",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
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"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "11 11 6 21 51",
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"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "7 10 6 24 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
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"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "That party was off the hook!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Fresh, cool, trendy, excellent, incredible."
],
"id": "en-off_the_hook-en-adj-KNpLGNW2",
"links": [
[
"Fresh",
"fresh"
],
[
"cool",
"cool"
],
[
"trendy",
"trendy"
],
[
"excellent",
"excellent"
],
[
"incredible",
"incredible"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, informal, slang) Fresh, cool, trendy, excellent, incredible."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"informal",
"not-comparable",
"slang"
]
}
],
"word": "off the hook"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"en:Telephony"
],
"etymology_number": 1,
"etymology_text": "An allusion to a fish caught on the hook of a fishing line.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "off the hook (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "When the boss assigned the project to Tom, the rest of us were relieved to be off the hook.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"text": "Without any evidence, the police had to let the suspect off the hook.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2023, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane",
"text": "Dom (David Jonsson): Tempting, but I think it's actually something I need to do. Like, I get what they did was peak, but I have to take some responsibility, you know?\nYas (Vivian Oparah): Like, not at all. You're gonna let them off the hook after how they treated you?",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure."
],
"links": [
[
"Relieve",
"relieve"
],
[
"duty",
"duty"
],
[
"burden",
"burden"
],
[
"responsibility",
"responsibility"
],
[
"pressure",
"pressure"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-off the hook.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/eb/En-au-off_the_hook.ogg/En-au-off_the_hook.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/En-au-off_the_hook.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
],
"text": "Audio (AU)"
}
],
"word": "off the hook"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
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"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"en:Telephony"
],
"etymology_number": 2,
"etymology_text": "Referring to the candlestick phone, which in order to hang up, the receiver must be hung on a hook. Leaving the receiver off the hook would prevent it from being able to receive calls.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "off the hook (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "I think he left the phone off the hook so that nobody would call him.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of a telephone, having an open connection; not hung up."
],
"links": [
[
"telephone",
"telephone"
],
[
"open",
"open"
],
[
"connection",
"connection"
],
[
"hung up",
"hang up"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "The phone was ringing off the hook all night.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Of a telephone, ringing frequently."
],
"links": [
[
"ring",
"ring"
]
],
"tags": [
"not-comparable"
]
}
],
"word": "off the hook"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"English uncomparable adjectives",
"en:Telephony"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "off the hizzle"
}
],
"etymology_number": 3,
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en"
},
"expansion": "Unknown",
"name": "unk"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Unknown.",
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "-"
},
"expansion": "off the hook (not comparable)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"related": [
{
"word": "off the chain"
},
{
"word": "off the hooks"
},
{
"word": "ring off the hook"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
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"English terms with usage examples",
"en:Sports"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "That's five three-pointers in a row! Smith is off the hook!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Performing extraordinarily well."
],
"links": [
[
"sports",
"sports"
],
[
"Perform",
"perform"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, informal, sports) Performing extraordinarily well."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"informal",
"not-comparable"
],
"topics": [
"hobbies",
"lifestyle",
"sports"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English idioms",
"English informal terms",
"English slang",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "That party was off the hook!",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Fresh, cool, trendy, excellent, incredible."
],
"links": [
[
"Fresh",
"fresh"
],
[
"cool",
"cool"
],
[
"trendy",
"trendy"
],
[
"excellent",
"excellent"
],
[
"incredible",
"incredible"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic, informal, slang) Fresh, cool, trendy, excellent, incredible."
],
"tags": [
"idiomatic",
"informal",
"not-comparable",
"slang"
]
}
],
"word": "off the hook"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-24 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (82c8ff9 and f4967a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.