Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective That is either fully on or fully off, and is used to
toggle a status between on and off; as in an on-off switch - adjective That
fluctuates between a positive and negative status, as an on-off relationship
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Subsequently described as 'on-off' diplomacy, Obama's hesitancy to provide a stern response resulted in a misreading of intentions from the opposing sides in Honduras, but it became clear that Obama had little appetite to become heavily engaged in a potentially long-running dispute.
Daniel Wagner: Obama's Unfinished Business Daniel Wagner 2011
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Subsequently described as 'on-off' diplomacy, Obama's hesitancy to provide a stern response resulted in a misreading of intentions from the opposing sides in Honduras, but it became clear that Obama had little appetite to become heavily engaged in a potentially long-running dispute.
Daniel Wagner: Obama's Unfinished Business Daniel Wagner 2011
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Then she slowly buzzed the same message through the pin in short on-off bursts, spelling out each letter of the Bajoran major’s name in universal signal code.
ARMAGEDDON SKY L. A. GRAF 1997
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In essence, what took place was this: Russell Brand, an on-off boyfriend of Georgina's at the time, was co-hosting a radio show with Jonathan Ross, and their phone-in guest was Sachs.
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The sentence comes five years into Thailand's cycle of political protests and on-off street violence.
Simon Roughneen: Keeping up With the Neighbours: Thailand Jails Grandfather or 20 Years Simon Roughneen 2011
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Recently released documents from a different case showed that two of Epstein's closest confidantes – his PA Sarah Ellen and an on-off girlfriend, Nadia Marcinkova – were repeatedly questioned by Kuvin about whether the prince had been involved in sexual acts with any of Epstein's entourage of young women.
Prince Andrew's link to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein taints royalty in US 2011
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At least four major interchanges, 14 on-off ramps and numerous surface streets were built, modified or rebuilt.
“Anyone Who Says There Aren’t Going to Be Cost Overruns Is Fooling Themselves.” « PubliCola 2010
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The material, a new crystal form of titanium oxide, can switch back and forth between the metal and semiconductor states at room temperature when exposed to light, creating an effective on-off function for data storage.
Researchers Discover ‘Super Disc’ Material | Impact Lab 2010
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It has two controls, a positive on-off slider switch and a single multifunction button, supplemented by spoken status reports.
Aliph Takes Jawbone Headset to the next Level « Steve Wildstrom on Tech 2010
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As most of you know, in the U.S., it's pretty much an on-off switch.
Dialect and Language discussion - pulled from another thread . . . 2009
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