on/off the air
off (the) air
No longer broadcasting live, or not during a live broadcast, as on television or radio. We were discussing the issue off air during the break, and my guest raised some very good points. Please wait until we're off the air before you answer your phone.
on (the) air
Broadcasting live, as on television or radio. Please try to control your language, we can't have any cursing while we're on air. Places, everyone! We're on the air in five, four, three….
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
off the air
not broadcasting (a radio or television program). The radio audience won't hear what you say when you're off the air. When the performers were off the air, the director told them how well they had done.
on the air
broadcasting (a radio or television program). The radio station came back on the air shortly after the storm. We were on the air for two hours.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
off the air
Not being broadcast, as in Once they knew they were off the air, the panelists burst out laughing. This idiom, along with the antonym on the air ("being broadcast"), dates from the 1920s, air being considered a medium for radio-wave transmission.
on the air
see under off the air.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on (or off) the air
being (or not being) broadcast on radio or television.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˌon/ˌoff the ˈair
(being) broadcast/not (being) broadcast on radio or television: ‘Going Live’ will go off the air for the summer, returning for a new series in the autumn.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017