[nursing home] See: CONVALESCENT HOME.

[nut] See: HARD NUT TO CRACK or TOUGH NUT TO CRACK.

[nut case]{n. phr.} A very silly, crazy, or foolish person. •/I am going to be a nut case if I don’t go on a vacation pretty soon./

[nuts about] See: CRAZY ABOUT.

[nuts and bolts of]{n. phr.} The basic facts or important details of something. •/"Ted will he an excellent trader," his millionaire grandfather said, "once he learns the nuts and bolts of the profession."/

[nutshell] See: IN A NUTSHELL.

[nutty as a fruitcake]{adj. phr.}, {slang} Very crazy; entirely mad. •/He looked all right, as we watched him approach, but when he began to talk, we saw that he was as nutty as a fruitcake./

[oak] See: GREAT OAKS FROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW.

[oars] See: REST ON ONE’S OARS.

[oath] See: TAKE OATH.

[oats] See: FEEL ONE’S OATS, SOW ONE’S WILD OATS.

[obey the call of nature] See: ANSWER THE CALL OF NATURE.

[occasion] See: ON OCCASION.

[occupy oneself]{v. phr.} To make oneself busy with. •/Having retired from business, he now occupies himself with his stamp collection./

[oddball]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} An eccentric person; one who doesn’t act like everyone else. •/John is an oddball — he never invites anyone./

[odd jobs]{n. phr.} Work that is not steady or regular in nature; small, isolated tasks. •/Dan does odd jobs for his neighbors, barely making enough to eat./

[odds] See: BY ALL ODDS.

[odds and ends]{n. phr.} Miscellaneous items; remnants. •/After the great annual clearance sale there were only a few odds and ends left in the store./

[odds are against]{v. phr.} The likelihood of success is not probable; the chances of success are poor. •/The odds are against her getting here before Monday./

[odds-on]{adj.}, {informal} Almost certain; almost sure; probable. •/Ed is the odds-on choice for class president, because he has good sense and good humor./

[of age]{adj. phr.} 1a. Old enough to be allowed to do or manage something. •/Mary will be of driving age on her next birthday./ Contrast: OVER AGE, UNDER AGE. 1b. Old enough to vote; having the privileges of adulthood. •/The age at which one is considered of age to vote, or of age to buy alcoholic drinks, or of age to be prosecuted as an adult, varies within the United States./ 2. Fully developed; mature. •/Education for the foreign born came of age when bilingual education was accepted as a necessary part of the public school system./

[of a piece]{adj. phr.} Of the same kind; in line. — Usually used with "with". •/His quitting the job is of a piece with his dropping out of school./

[of course]{adv. phr.} 1. As you would expect; naturally. •/Bob hit Herman, and Herman hit him back, of course./ •/The rain came pouring down, and of course the track meet was canceled./ 2. Without a doubt; certainly; surely. •/Of course you know that girl; she’s in your class./

[off a duck’s back] See: LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK

[off-again, on-again] or [on-again, off-again] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Not settled; changeable; uncertain. •/John and Susan had an off-again, on-again romance./ •/I don’t like this off-again, on-again business. Are we going to have the party or not?/

[off and on] also [on and off] {adv.} Not regularly; occasionally; sometimes. •/Joan wrote to a pen pal in England off and on for several years./ •/It rained off and on all day./ — Sometimes used with hyphens like an adjective. •/A worn-out cord may make a hearing aid work in an off-and-on way./ Compare: BY FITS AND STARTS, FROM TIME TO TIME, NOW AND THEN.

[off balance]{adj. phr.} 1. Not in balance; not able to stand up straight and not fall; not able to keep from turning over or falling; unsteady. •/Never stand up in a canoe; it will get off balance and turn over./ •/Paul was speeding along on his bicycle, when an unexpected hole in the road caught him off balance and he fell over./ 2. Not prepared; not ready; unable to meet something unexpected. •/Our quarterback kept the other team off balance by changing often from line plays to passes and tricky end runs./ •/The teacher’s surprise test caught the class off balance, and nearly everyone got a poor mark./

[off base]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not agreeing with fact; wrong. •/The idea that touching a toad causes warts is off base./ •/When Tom said that the teacher’s explanation did not agree with the book, the teacher was embarrassed at being caught off base./

[offbeat]{adj.}, {informal} Nonconventional; different from the usual; odd. •/Linguistics used to be an offbeat field, but nowadays every self-respecting university has a linguistics department./

[off center]{adv. phr.} Not exactly in the middle. •/Mary hung the picture off center, because it was more interesting that way./

[off-center]{adj.}, {informal} Different from the usual pattern; not quite like most others; odd. •/Roger’s sense of humor was a bit off-center./ Compare: OFF-KEY.

[off-color] or [off-colored] {adj.} 1. Not of the proper hue or shade; not matching a standard color sample. •/The librarian complained that the painter had used an off-color green on the walls./ 2. {informal} Not of the proper kind for polite society; in bad taste; dirty. •/When Joe finished his off-color story, no one was pleased./

[off day]{n. phr.} A period when one is not functioning at his or her best; a period of weakness. •/The champion was obviously having an off day; otherwise she would have been able to defeat her opponent./ Contrast: DAY OFF.

[off duty]{adj.} Not supposed to be at work; having free time; not working. •/Sailors like to go sight-seeing, when they are off duty in a foreign port./ •/It seems that all the taxis in New York are off duty whenever it rains./ — Often used with hyphens, before a noun. •/The bank robber was captured by an off-duty policeman./ Contrast: ON DUTY.

[off feed] or [off one’s feed] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Not feeling well; lacking in vitality; droopy; moody. •/Mary was worried; her canary was off feed./ •/Jerry seemed to be off his feed; he did not joke and laugh with the others./

[off (one/he/she/it) goes!]{v. phr.} Said of a person, a vehicle, or a memorable thing who/which has started leaving or moving, both as a statement of fact (declarative assertion) or as a command (imperative). •/When the boat hit the water in the formal launching ceremony, they cried out simultaneously, "Off she goes!"/

[off guard]{adj.} In a careless attitude; not alert to coming danger; not watching. •/In the second that the boxer was off guard, his opponent landed a knockout punch./ •/Timmy s question caught Jean off guard, and she told him the secret before she knew it./ Contrast: ON GUARD.

[offhand]{adj.} 1. Informal; casual; careless. •/Dick found Bob’s offhand manner inappropriate for business./ 2. In an improvised fashion. •/Offhand, I would guess that at least five thousand people attended the festival./

[off in a flash] See: IN A FLASH.