密歇根新闻广播 随处可见的one-off

Sometimes a word slips into our language unnoticed. Before we know it, that word is everywhere.

That's how listener John Van Deusen feels about "one-off."

He says, "I thought I was paying attention, but I don't recall it beginning, and now it's everywhere -- definitely not a one-off usage."

Words can be sneaky, especially when they come in from a language close to our own.

Similar to calling a redheaded person a "ginger," calling something that only happens once a "one-off" is a British import.

There's a theory that it's a mistake, based off "one of a kind," and that the "one of" became "one off." That's not true. "One-off" comes from manufacturing. It refers to the number of products that come from a mold or pattern.

If something is a "one-off," it's the prototype, there's only one, but you could also have "two hundred-off." The Oxford¹ English Dictionary cites this example from 1970: "Without barrier coats, mold breakdown² can start after sixty units off."

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。