好词典

offhand

UK //ˌɒfˈhænd//US //ˌɔːfˈhænd//

词源

源自17世纪,由'off'(离开)和'hand'(手)组成,字面意思是'手边没有',引申为未经准备。

adjective

❶ 指未经准备或思考的,即兴的,常用于形容言行显得随意或不够正式。

“He gave an offhand reply without looking up from his phone.”

(他头也不抬地随口回答了一句。)

“Her offhand manner sometimes made people think she didn't care.”

(她随意的态度有时让人觉得她不在乎。)

同义词:casual, spontaneous, unprepared

adverb

❶ 表示未经准备或立即地做某事,强调缺乏事先考虑或计划。

“I can't tell you offhand how much it will cost.”

(我一下子没法告诉你这要花多少钱。)

“She answered offhand when asked about her future plans.”

(当被问及未来计划时,她不假思索地回答了。)

同义词:immediately, without preparation, extemporaneously

常见短语

offhand remark — 指随口说出的话,通常没有经过深思熟虑,有时可能无意中冒犯他人。

“His offhand remark about her cooking upset her more than he realized.”

(他关于她厨艺的随口评论让她比他意识到的更难过。)