to stand off and on

  • 1stand off and on — phrasal of a sailing ship : to remain near a coast by sailing toward and then away from the land standing off and on while the captain went ashore * * * stand off and on (nautical) To sail away from shore and then towards it • • • Main Entry:… …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 2To stand off and on — Stand Stand (st[a^]nd), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Stood} (st[oo^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Standing}.] [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, st[=a]n, D. staan, OS. standan, st[=a]n, OHG. stantan, st[=a]n, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3stand off — intransitive verb 1. : to stay at a distance in social intercourse or acquaintance : be unapproachable or unobliging 2. : to sail away from the shore transitive verb 1. a. : to hold at a distance : keep from advancing : repel …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 4stand-off — stand offs also standoff N COUNT A stand off is a situation in which neither of two opposing groups or forces will make a move until the other one does something, so nothing can happen until one of them gives way. → See also Mexican stand off… …

    English dictionary

  • 5stand-off half — stand off halfback or stand off half, Rugby Football. the halfback who takes a position between the scrum half and the three quarter back; outside half. * * * ˌstand off ˈhalf 7 [stand off half] (also ˌfly ˈhalf …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 6stand-off halfback — or stand off half, Rugby Football. the halfback who takes a position between the scrum half and the three quarter back; outside half …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 7stand-off half — ► NOUN Rugby ▪ a halfback who forms a link between the scrum half and the three quarters …

    English terms dictionary

  • 8To stand off — Stand Stand (st[a^]nd), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Stood} (st[oo^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Standing}.] [OE. standen; AS. standan; akin to OFries. stonda, st[=a]n, D. staan, OS. standan, st[=a]n, OHG. stantan, st[=a]n, G. stehen, Icel. standa, Dan. staae,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 9stand off — 1) stay at a distance, stay apart He always stands off from the rest of the students in his class. 2) keep someone or something from coming near or winning There was a stand off at the bank between the police and the bank robbers …

    Idioms and examples

  • 10Stand-off missile — Standoff missiles are missiles used against land based targets in an offensive operation; their main goal is to break an opponent s defensive line and push them back. Often, a stand off missile is also a short range ballistic missile.Types of… …

    Wikipedia