eat (something) off

eat (something) off

To erode or wear something away. A very corrosive substance must have eaten off this part of the pipe.
See also: eat, off
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

eat something off (of) something

 and eat something off
to erode something off a larger part. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) The acidic rain ate the finish off the steeple. The acid ate off the finish.
See also: eat, off
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • be off for (something)
  • be off for sth
  • browned off
  • breeze off
  • auction off
  • blast off for (somewhere)
  • blast off for somewhere
  • cadge (something) off (someone)
  • cadge something off someone
  • bum off