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From: Frederick Williams <frederick.williams2@tesco.net>
Newsgroups: alt.languages.english
Subject: Re: "off" or "of" when listing quantities.
Date: Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:30:41 +0000
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gustavfenk@googlemail.com wrote:
>
> Which is the correct word to use, "of" or "off", when listing
> quantities? I often see "off" used and it just looks wrong. For
> example -
>
> "Six-inch widgets - 4 off"
>
> shouldn't it be "4 of", with this being a shortened form of "4 of
> (those)" ?
No. "Off" is technical usage in this case and so may not square with
everyday idioms.
--
But you see, I can believe a thing without understanding it.
It's all a matter of training.
--Lord Peter Wimsey in Dorothy L Sayers' _Have His Carcase_
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