"One off"

[Thomas Linton]

When did "one off" replace "one of" (short for "one of a kind")? Seems to be used to suggest uniqueness instead of insanity.

 

[RevDevil]

No sure what the "insanity" aspect of knives implies but:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_one_off_production

 

[yablanowitz]

I've always wondered how "one of a kind" indicated uniqueness. To me, "a kind" indicates a type or catagory, "one of" indicates membership in a type or catagory, so "one of a kind" should mean just one of many. "One off" would indicate a single piece such as a prototype, as in " I had an idea for a new design, so I ran one off to see if it would work". I think that is a much better idiom for unique.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Main Entry: one-of-a-kind
Part of Speech: adj
Definition: unique; pertaining to a singular example
Example: They broke the mold when they made her; she is one of a kind.
Etymology: 1954
Usage: also used as a noun

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It seems "one off" is first noted in 1934.

 

[NI200]

here is a nice example of one of 5 :thumbup:

 

[Charlie Mike]

I try to collect one off knive. I have quite a few.

 

[Bill1170]

I always interpreted "one of a kind" to mean "the only one of its kind." Kind of a shortened version for convenience.