to take off
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To mimic or ridicule; also to start, especially of an aeroplane or of one in an athletic contest, as jumping or racing.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Examples
The plane bound for Beijing is going to take off soon.Máy bay đi Bắc Kinh sắp cất cánh.
Tatoeba sentence #3537668 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to take off” mean?
To mimic or ridicule; also to start, especially of an aeroplane or of one in an athletic contest, as jumping or racing.
Is “to take off” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.