buy off
To turn from duty or purpose by a gift.
When the police threatened to stop the gambling business, the owner bought them off.
The Indians were going to burn the cabins, but the men bought them off with gifts.
call off
To stop (something planned); quit; cancel.
When the ice became soft and sloppy, we had to call off the ice-skating party.
The baseball game was called off because of rain.
The referee called off the soccer game because of the darkness.
The president called the meeting off because she had to leave town.
carry off the palm
bear off the palm
To gain the victory; win.
(From the fact that long ago a palm leaf was given to the winner in a game as a sign of victory.)
(From the fact that long ago a palm leaf was given to the winner in a game as a sign of victory.)
John carried off the palm in the tennis championship match.
Our army bore off the palm in the battle.
carry off
To cause death of; kill.
Years ago smallpox carried off hundreds of Indians of the Sioux tribe.
To succeed in winning.
Bob carried off honors in science.
Jim carried off two gold medals in the track meet.
To succeed somewhat unexpectedly in.
The spy planned to deceive the enemy soldiers and carried it off very well.
In the class play, Lloyd carried off his part surprisingly well.
cart off
cart away
To take away, often with force or with rough handling or behavior.
The police carted the rioters off to jail.
When Bobby wouldn't eat his supper, his mother carted him away to bed.
cast off
To unfasten; untie; let loose (as a rope holding a boat).
The captain of the boat cast off the line and we were soon out in open water.
To untie a rope holding a boat or something suggesting a boat.
We cast off and set sail at 6 A.M.
To knit the last row of stitches.
When she had knitted the twentieth row of stitches she cast off.
To say that you do not know (someone) any more; not accept as a relative or friend.
Mr. Jones cast off his daughter when she married against his wishes.
catch off balance
To confront someone with physical force or with a statement or question he or she is not prepared to answer or deal with; to exploit the disadvantage of another.
The smaller wrestler caught his opponent off balance and managed to throw him on the float in spite of his greater weight and strength.
Your question has caught me off balance; please give me some time to think about your problem.
catch off guard
To challenge or confront a person at a time of lack of preparedness or sufficient care.
The suspect was caught off guard by the detective and confessed where he had hidden the stolen car.