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stand off

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
stand someone or something off
to repel the attack of someone or something; to defend against someone or something; to stave someone or something off. It was all we could do to stand them off. The soldiers stood off the attackers as long as they could.
See also: stand

stand off

some place [for a ship] to wait some distance from a point on shore. The ship stood off at some distance, waiting for its berth. We stood off about a mile from shore and went to land in small boats called tenders.
See also: stand


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? References in classic literature
Whereupon, this accomplished swordsman, warning all hands to stand off, once more makes a scientific dash at the mass, and with a few sidelong, desperate, lunging slicings, severs it completely in twain; so that while the short lower part is still fast, the long upper strip, called a blanket-piece, swings clear, and is all ready for lowering.
I have seen Winder make one of the house-servants stand off from him a suitable distance to be touched with the end of his whip, and at every stroke raise great ridges upon his back.
He threw himself into a chair, laughing and groaning, and bid them all stand off, for he was nearly killed - he would not have such another walk for the three kingdoms.
 
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