knock off

== English == === Etymology === In the verb sense of stopping work, said to be from the practice aboard slave galleys to have a man beat time for the rowers by knocking on a block or drum; when he stopped, the rowers could rest. === Pronunciation === === Verb === knock off (third-person singular simple present knocks off, present participle knocking off, simple past and past participle knocked off) (ambitransitive, slang) To halt one's work or other activity. Synonyms: call it a day, call it a night, down tools (transitive, slang) To kill. Synonyms: bump off, do away with, whack; see also Thesaurus:kill (sports, by extension) To defeat. (transitive) To remove, as a discount or estimate. Synonyms: deduct, take off; see also Thesaurus:remove (transitive, slang) To rob. Synonyms: mill, burgle; see also Thesaurus:steal (transitive) To make a copy of, as of a design. Synonyms: plagiarize, rip off (transitive) To assign (an item) to a bidder at an auction, indicated by knocking on the counter. (transitive, slang, vulgar, UK) To have sex with (a woman). Synonyms: coitize, go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with (transitive, informal) To accomplish hastily. Synonym: knock out To remove (something or someone) by hitting. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Dutch: afnokken (calque) ==== Translations ==== === Noun === knock off (plural knock offs) Nonstandard form of knockoff.