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Chick Loser
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 1:27 pm
Post subject: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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Hello,
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
Thanks,
C.L.
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Hkeol
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 3:30 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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"Chick Loser" <chickloser@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e0ea39c8.0409212327.4ed5b679@posting.google.com...
| Quote: | Hello,
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
Thanks,
C.L.
|
It means to go to the place that someone is leaving from in order to say
goodbye to them:
- My girlfriend saw me off at the airport.
dwjo |
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dwjo
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 3:38 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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"Chick Loser" <chickloser@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e0ea39c8.0409212327.4ed5b679@posting.google.com...
| Quote: | Hello,
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
Thanks,
C.L.
|
It means to go to the place that someone is leaving from in order to say
goodbye to them:
- My girlfriend saw me off at the airport.
dwjo
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Don Phillipson
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 5:31 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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"Chick Loser" <chickloser@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e0ea39c8.0409212327.4ed5b679@posting.google.com...
| Quote: | I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
|
This has two opposite meanings.
#1 means to greet on departure, as
when X takes his daughter to the airport to see her
off for her first term at a distant college. This is the
most common usage of see off in Britain.
#2 means to escort and exclude: if you try to enter
Michael Jackson's California ranch with your camera
his guards will see you off the premises. This
usage seems rare in Britain, more common in the
USA (which is a bit paradoxical, if irony were the
basis of the prhase.)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada) |
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Martin Ambuhl
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 10:16 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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Chick Loser wrote:
| Quote: | Hello,
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
Thanks,
C.L.
|
Dictionaries for native English speakers very rarely use forms like "to
see sb. off." The abbreviations like "sb." are mostly used in EFL- or
ESL-oriented dictionaries. You want to look for the phrasal verb "see
off." Here's the _Shorter Oxford English Dictionary_ entry (s.v. 'see'):
['see'] With adverbs in specialized senses:
see off (a) be present at the departure of (a person);
(b) (esp. of a dog) put to flight, chase off;
(c) colloq. ward off, get the better of;
(d) /see off the new ball/ (Cricket), bat until the shine has
been removed from the ball, esp. at the start of an
innings. |
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meirman
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2004 2:32 am
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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In alt.english.usage on Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:31:15 -0400 "Don
Phillipson" <d.phillipson@ttrryytteell.com> posted:
| Quote: | "Chick Loser" <chickloser@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e0ea39c8.0409212327.4ed5b679@posting.google.com...
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
This has two opposite meanings.
#1 means to greet on departure, as
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In the US, we would not greet someone on departure, only on arrival.
We would say good-bye on departure, or something like that.
| Quote: | when X takes his daughter to the airport to see her
off for her first term at a distant college. This is the
most common usage of see off in Britain.
#2 means to escort and exclude: if you try to enter
Michael Jackson's California ranch with your camera
his guards will see you off the premises. This
usage seems rare in Britain, more common in the
USA (which is a bit paradoxical, if irony were the
basis of the prhase.)
|
I believe you that it's more common in the US than Britain, but just
be clear, it's much less common than #1, because friendly departures
are far more common than forced departures. I've seen the phrase used
on tv or movies but in my own personal life I've never seen someone
off like that, and I've never seen anyone else do it either. Partly
because I don't have any guards.  That is, you're right, people only
use this phrase as you did, when A asks B to see C off, or B tells A
that he saw C off. A would not likely tell C that he was seeing him
off. It's too hostile except for the tough guy in some movies, who
wants to make clear how tough he is.
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years |
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Alan Jones
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2004 2:10 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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"meirman" <meirman@invalid.com> wrote in message
news:tun3l010g5i5cqhv1if84g05f490f02al4@4ax.com...
| Quote: | In alt.english.usage on Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:31:15 -0400 "Don
Phillipson" <d.phillipson@ttrryytteell.com> posted:
This has two opposite meanings.
#1 [as] when X takes his daughter to the airport to see her
off for her first term at a distant college. This is the
most common usage of see off in Britain.
#2 means to escort and exclude: if you try to enter
Michael Jackson's California ranch with your camera
his guards will see you off the premises. This
usage seems rare in Britain, more common in the
USA (which is a bit paradoxical, if irony were the
basis of the prhase.)
I believe you that it's more common in the US than Britain, but just
be clear, it's much less common than #1, because friendly departures
are far more common than forced departures.
[...] |
Obviously no.2 is less common, in both AmE and BrE, because the occasion for
it arises less often. But I think it's also used in BrE in a less aggressive
way, as when one declines an offer made with unwelcome persistence. I
suppose this derives from the literal "seeing off the premises" of a
door-to-door salesman by the householder. There's always a mild sense of
triumph when one sees someone off in such circumstances, with no need for
firearms or guard dogs or even yelling.
Alan Jones |
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Chick Loser
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:10 am
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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"Don Phillipson" <d.phillipson@ttrryytteell.com> wrote in message news:<srd4d.673$Cb5.4365@newscontent-01.sprint.ca>...
| Quote: | "Chick Loser" <chickloser@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e0ea39c8.0409212327.4ed5b679@posting.google.com...
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
This has two opposite meanings.
#1 means to greet on departure, as
when X takes his daughter to the airport to see her
off for her first term at a distant college. This is the
most common usage of see off in Britain.
|
So it does not mean to "break up", does it?
| Quote: | #2 means to escort and exclude: if you try to enter
Michael Jackson's California ranch with your camera
his guards will see you off the premises. This
usage seems rare in Britain, more common in the
USA (which is a bit paradoxical, if irony were the
basis of the prhase.)
|
Interesting. In the first case we have a case of "seeing sb off"
and in the second case we have a case of "seeing sb off sth". So
we can easily distinguish the two cases. |
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Chick Loser
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 6:20 am
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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Well, all in all I hate that phrase cause I cannot tell whether the other
person is being friendly or unfriendly. But when someone tells me they are
going to see me off, I may be a little crazy but, in my mind, I hear
something like: "I'll see you fuck off!". Hey, if someone is going
to see me off they don't need to tell me. Grrr...... it makes me
feel like saying: "I'll see YOU off, with emphasis on the word OFF!".
F. OFF
Sorry people, I have a big problem with this expression. God forbid I
ever hear it again!
Why couldn't anyone invent some words like "I'll see you out"
"I'll see you through" or simpler, "I'll see you going", or
"I'll see that you make it too the exit" or something.
Sorry, but the word off is not that common, and the only other
expression it reminds me of is "fuck off". Hence I hate it.
Say "I'll SEE you OFF" to me and I'll say:
"I don't want to see you ever again!"
Regards,
C. L.
(and thank you for your explanations!)
Martin Ambuhl <mambuhl@earthlink.net> wrote in message
| Quote: | Dictionaries for native English speakers very rarely use forms like "to
see sb. off." The abbreviations like "sb." are mostly used in EFL- or
ESL-oriented dictionaries. You want to look for the phrasal verb "see
off." Here's the _Shorter Oxford English Dictionary_ entry (s.v. 'see'):
['see'] With adverbs in specialized senses:
see off (a) be present at the departure of (a person);
(b) (esp. of a dog) put to flight, chase off;
(c) colloq. ward off, get the better of;
(d) /see off the new ball/ (Cricket), bat until the shine has
been removed from the ball, esp. at the start of an
innings. |
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Alan Jones
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 12:52 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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"Chick Loser" <chickloser@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e0ea39c8.0409231620.7f4c37bc@posting.google.com...
| Quote: | Well, all in all I hate that phrase cause I cannot tell whether the other
person is being friendly or unfriendly. But when someone tells me they are
going to see me off, I may be a little crazy but, in my mind, I hear
something like: "I'll see you fuck off!". Hey, if someone is going
to see me off they don't need to tell me. Grrr...... it makes me
feel like saying: "I'll see YOU off, with emphasis on the word OFF!".
F. OFF
Sorry people, I have a big problem with this expression. God forbid I
ever hear it again!
Why couldn't anyone invent some words like "I'll see you out"
"I'll see you through" or simpler, "I'll see you going", or
"I'll see that you make it too the exit" or something.
Sorry, but the word off is not that common, and the only other
expression it reminds me of is "fuck off". Hence I hate it.
Say "I'll SEE you OFF" to me and I'll say:
"I don't want to see you ever again!"
|
Can't you tell whether an "off" is friendly or hostile by the circumstances
and the expression in the speaker's voice and face? "I'll see you off" is
almost always a friendly promise to be at the airport or rail station when
one's friend or relative is leaving for a holiday or a new experience such
as going to college. It's not the same as just taking the person to the
point of departure: it's a promise to stay with them until the last possible
moment and wave them goodbye.
Having said that, I've also remembered a slightly different nasty use in
British English: "to cheat or defraud". If some salesman persuades you to
pay a high price for something you later realise you could have bought for
much less, he has "seen you off".
But you must cure yourself of the belief that "off" usually has a nasty
sense. Knitters cast off their work as they complete their woolly hat,
people start off on the journey of a lifetime, after a nice warm drink you
may drop off to sleep in your armchair, and I'm sure there are many other
examples. The "off" in "fuck off" or "piss off" just means "away" - it's the
other word that creates the offence you feel. "Off" is neutral.
Alan Jones |
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david56
Guest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 2:31 pm
Post subject: Re: question: meaning: to see sb. off |
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Martin Ambuhl typed thus:
| Quote: | Chick Loser wrote:
Hello,
I checked at http://www.m-w.com/ for the exact meaning of:
"to see sb. off"
but I could not find it. What exactly does this expression mean???
Dictionaries for native English speakers very rarely use forms like "to
see sb. off." The abbreviations like "sb." are mostly used in EFL- or
ESL-oriented dictionaries. You want to look for the phrasal verb "see
off." Here's the _Shorter Oxford English Dictionary_ entry (s.v. 'see'):
['see'] With adverbs in specialized senses:
see off (a) be present at the departure of (a person);
(b) (esp. of a dog) put to flight, chase off;
|
My PILs say this in reference to their dog, but I had never heard it
before meeting them, which probably indicates that it's a northern or
Yorkshire usage.
e.g. "We met another dog in the park, but Sam saw him off".
--
David
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