hand off

hand off

1. verb To pass something (to someone else) by hand. A noun or pronoun can be used between "hand" and "off." The quarterback handed the ball off to the tight end. I'm positive that I handed off those documents to Martha earlier in the week.
2. verb To transfer ownership, control, or responsibility of something (to someone else). A noun or pronoun can be used between "hand" and "off." The CEO has indicated that he will be handing off control of the company to his son. I want to make sure this project is on schedule before I hand it off to my replacement.
3. noun In American football, the act of the quarterback handing the ball to another offensive player. In this usage, the phrase is usually hyphenated or written as a single word. That handoff was risky, Joe—what if you'd been sacked?
See also: hand, off

hands off

An instruction for one to refrain from touching or handling (something or someone). (Usually said imperatively.) Hey, hands off those cookies, they're for after dinner! I have every right to be on this property, so hands off, fellas! That television is brand new, so hands off!
See also: hand, off
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hand something off

 (to someone)
1. Lit. to give a football directly to another player. Roger handed the ball off to Jeff. He handed off the ball. Tim handed it off.
2. Fig. to give something to someone else to do or complete. I'm going to hand this assignment off to Jeff. Don't hand off your dirty work to me—do it yourself!
See also: hand, off
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

hands off

An order to stop touching or interfering with something, as in Hands off the cake, children! This idiom is also put as keep one's hands off, as in She knew she had to keep her hands off so he could learn to tie his shoes by himself. [Mid-1500s]
See also: hand, off
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

(get/keep/take your) ˌhands ˈoff (somebody/something)

(spoken) used to tell somebody not to touch somebody/something: Those cakes are for tea, so hands off! Keep your hands off my tools, please.
See also: hand, off
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • hands off
  • hand off to (someone)
  • hand in
  • hand out
  • handout
  • hand on
  • feed
  • hand up
  • hand up (to someone)
  • hands up
References in periodicals archive
perhaps even more important in an evaluation of the hand off because the
hand off directly contributes to the problem that Justice Jackson was
The hand off expands the set of unexamined searches to
adequately deter misconduct by police equipped with the hand off because
the hand off enables police to conceal tortious conduct from potential
legality) so long as it can be "rediscovered" after a hand off
Neither the hand off nor the silver platter doctrine is necessary to
availability of the hand off threatens to alter fine judgments about
First, the hand off makes it easier to "get away with"
officer believes that the hand off legally cleanses evidence gained in a
that this scrupulous officer, once equipped with the hand off, will go
searches, but I am suggesting that the hand off will blur this
whereas the propriety of the hand off has been questioned whether or not
the hand off generally do not concede any illegality in the pre-hand-off
equivocal implications in a comparison of the hand off and the silver
The hand-off procedure or the new silver platter: how today's police are serving up potentially tainted evidence without even revealing the search that produced it to defendants or to courts