knockoff

[nok-awf, -of] /ˈnɒkˌɔf, -ˌɒf/

noun

an act or instance of knocking off.

an unlicensed copy of something, especially fashion clothing, intended to be sold at a lower price than the original.

Also, knock-off.

Origin

1870-75, for an earlier sense; noun use of verb phrase knock off

knock

[nok] /nɒk/

verb (used without object)

to strike a sounding blow with the fist, knuckles, or anything hard, especially on a door, window, or the like, as in seeking admittance, calling attention, or giving a signal:

to knock on the door before entering.

to strike in collision; bump:

He knocked into a table.

to make a pounding noise:

The engine of our car is knocking badly.

Informal. to engage in trivial or carping criticism; find fault.

Cards. to end a game, as in gin rummy, by laying down a hand in which those cards not included in sets total less than a specific amount.

verb (used with object)

to give a sounding or forcible blow to; hit; strike; beat.

to drive, force, or render by a blow or blows:

to knock a man senseless.

to make by striking a blow or blows:

to knock a hole in the wall.

to strike (a thing) against something else.

10.

Informal. to criticize, especially in a carping manner:

He's always knocking everything.

11.

British Slang. to astound; impress greatly.

noun

12.

an act or instance of knocking.

13.

the sound of knocking, especially a rap, as at a door.

14.

a blow or thump.

15.

Informal. an adverse criticism.

16.

the noise resulting from faulty combustion or from incorrect functioning of some part of an internal-combustion engine.

17.

Cricket. an innings.

18.

British Slang.

one of a combination of dealers who bid together, rather than against each other, at an auction, and later resell the purchases among themselves.
an auction at which this is done.
the sale of merchandise recently obtained by a dealer at an auction.

Verb phrases

19.

knock around/about, Informal.

to wander aimlessly or idly; loaf.
to mistreat (someone), especially physically.
to jar; shake up.

20.

knock back, Slang. to drink (a beverage), especially quickly and heartily:

He knocked back two shots of vodka.

21.

knock down,

to sell at auction by a blow of the hammer or to a bidder.
to take apart or disassemble, as for facility in handling, storing, shipping, etc.
Slang. to receive, as a salary or a scholastic grade; earn:
He knocks down 30 grand a year.
Informal. to lower the price of; reduce:
to knock down end-of-season leftovers.
Slang. to embezzle or steal (money).
to cause (a sailing vessel) to heel, as by a gust of wind, to such a degree that it cannot right itself.

22.

knock off,

Informal. to cease activity, especially work:
to knock off at five every day.
to stop doing something; quit:
Knock it off or you'll get into a mess.
Slang. to dispose of; finish.
Slang. to murder; kill.
Slang. to die.
Slang. to get rid of; reduce.
Slang. to disable or defeat.
Slang. to commit a robbery at; steal from:
The gang knocked off a gas station.
Nautical Slang. to blow the head (of a sailing vessel) off the wind.
to imitate, copy, or plagiarize:
to knock off designer dresses in cheap materials.

23.

knock out,

to defeat (an opponent) in a boxing match by striking such a blow that the opponent is unable to rise within the specified time.
to render (a person) unconscious:
Those sleeping pills knocked me out for ten hours.
to make tired or exhausted:
Christmas shopping always knocks me out.
Informal. to produce quickly, hurriedly, or with ease:
He knocks out two poems a day.
to damage or destroy:
The explosion knocked out the power for several hours.
knock (def 28).

24.

knock over,

to strike (someone or something) from an erect to a prone position:
to knock over a lamp.
to distress; overcome:
When the announcement came we were completely knocked over.
Slang. to rob, burglarize, or hijack:
He knocked over five banks.

25.

knock together, to make or construct in a hurry or with little attention to detail:

He knocked together a couple of tables.

26.

knock up,

Slang. to make pregnant.
to exhaust; weary; tire.
to damage; mar:
The children knocked up the new table.
to injure; wound:
He was afraid to come home from school all knocked up again.
British. to wake up; rouse; call:
He knocked us up before dawn.

Idioms

27.

have it knocked, Slang. to be assured of success:

With a government job, he thought he had it knocked.

28.

knock out of the box, Baseball. to cause a pitcher to be removed from the box because the pitcher has permitted too many hits to be made.

Also, knock out.

29.

knock the / one's socks off, Informal. to have an overwhelming effect on:

The song knocked the socks off the audience.

Origin

before 1000; 1890-95 for def 4; Middle English knokken, knoken (v.), Old English cnocian, cnucian; cognate with Old Norse knoka to thump, knock

Related forms

knockless, adjective

reknock, verb

unknocked, adjective

unknocking, adjective

Synonyms

1. See strike.

British Dictionary definitions for knock off

knock off

verb (mainly adverb)

(intransitive, also preposition) (informal) to finish work: we knocked off an hour early

(transitive) (informal) to make or do hastily or easily: to knock off a novel in a week

(transitive; also preposition) (informal) to reduce the price of (an article) by (a stated amount)

(transitive) (slang) to kill

(transitive) (slang) to rob or steal: to knock off a bank, to knock off a watch

(transitive) (slang) to stop doing something, used as a command: knock it off!

(transitive) (slang) to have sexual intercourse with; to seduce

noun

(informal)

an illegal imitation of a well-known product
(as modifier): knockoff watches

knock

/nɒk/

verb

(transitive) to give a blow or push to; strike

(intransitive) to rap sharply with the knuckles, a hard object, etc, esp to capture attention: to knock at the door

(transitive) to make or force by striking: to knock a hole in the wall

(intransitive) usually foll by against. to collide (with)

(transitive) to bring into a certain condition by hitting or pushing: to knock someone unconscious

(transitive) (informal) to criticize adversely; belittle: to knock someone's work

(intransitive) Also pink. (of an internal-combustion engine) to emit a characteristic metallic noise as a result of faulty combustion

(intransitive) (of a bearing, esp one in an engine) to emit a regular characteristic sound as a result of wear

(Brit, slang) to have sexual intercourse with (a person)

10.

(informal) knock a person into the middle of next week, to hit a person with a very heavy blow

11.

knock one's head against, to have a violent or unpleasant encounter with (adverse facts or circumstances)

12.

knock on the head

to daze or kill (a person) by striking on the head
effectively to prevent the further development of (a plan)

noun

13.

a blow, push, or rap: he gave the table a knock
the sound so caused

14.

the sound of knocking in an engine or bearing

15.

(informal) a misfortune, rebuff, or setback

16.

(informal) unfavourable criticism

17.

(informal) (in cricket) an innings or a spell of batting

Word Origin

Old English cnocian, of imitative origin; related to Old Norse knoka to hit

Word Origin and History for knock off

"desist, stop," 1640s; "do hastily," 1817; "kill, murder," 1919; from knock (v.) + off.

knock

Old English cnocian (West Saxon cnucian), "to pound, beat; knock (on a door)," likely of imitative origin. Meaning "deprecate, put down" is from 1892. Related: Knocked; knocking. Knock-kneed first attested 1774. Knock-down, drag-out is from 1827. Command knock it off "stop it" is first recorded 1880, perhaps from auctioneer's term for "dispose of quickly:"

At the commencement of the sales, he gave every one that wanted to purchase a paper containing a description of the lands that were to be sold; and, as the sales were cried, he called over the numbers and described the land; and when it got up to one dollar and a quarter an acre, if no body bid, after it was cried two or three times, he would say, knock it off, knock it off. [U.S. Senate record, 1834]

mid-14c., from knock (v.). As an engine noise, from 1899.

knockoff

"cheap imitation," 1966, from the verbal phrase knock off "do hastily;" in reference to the casual way the things are made.

Slang definitions & phrases for knock off

knock off

verb phrase

To stop, esp to stop working; desist (1649+)
To produce, esp with seeming ease and rapidity: He knocked off a couple of portraits at $40,000 each (1820+)
To delete; shorten by: Let's knock off this last paragraph/ If you do that I'll knock off half the purchase price (1811+)
To consume, esp to drink; knock back, knock down: after knocking off a glass of wine/ while I knock off two or three or four drinks (1950s+)
To kill; murder; assassinate; rub out: Before long the spiders knock off Michael/ sent to a lonely spot and knocked off (1919+)
To die; pass away (1704+)
To arrest, esp after a raid: Local cops had free authority to knock them off (1926+)
To rob; hold up, knock over: The pair knocked off several shops, a bank, and jewelry stores (1919+)
To do the sex act with, esp as a prostitute; satisfy a sex client: if you're a street hooker and knock off twenty or thirty guys a day/ She couldn't see anybody just knocking her off one time (1940s+)
To defeat; overcome: The Tigers knocked off the Yankees today (1950s+)
To attain; operate at: The old tub was knocking off
knots and groaning like a cow in labor (1940s+)

knock

noun

: It wasn't a disinterested comment—it was a knock/ The knock on Fernandez is he can't field

verb

To deprecate; criticize severely; dispraise; PUT someone or something DOWN: by knocking Hymie Salzman (1896+)
To borrow or lend; ask or beg (1950s+ Black)
To give: C'mon, baby, knock me a kiss (1944+ Black)

Related Terms

don't knock it, have something cinched

knockoff

modifier

: extra pieceworkers to turn out knockoff blouses/knockoff Coach bags bought in Chinatown

noun

A copy or close imitation: Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider is a contemporary knockoff (1966+)

knock off in the Bible

"Though Orientals are very jealous of their privacy, they never knock when about to enter your room, but walk in without warning or ceremony. It is nearly impossible to teach an Arab servant to knock at your door. They give warning at the outer gate either by calling or knocking. To stand and call is a very common and respectful mode. Thus Moses commanded the holder of a pledge to stand without and call to the owner to come forth (Deut. 24:10). This was to avoid the violent intrusion of cruel creditors. Peter stood knocking at the outer door (Acts 12:13, 16), and the three men sent to Joppa by Cornelius made inquiry and 'stood before the gate' (10:17, 18). The idea is that the guard over your privacy is to be placed at the entrance." Knocking is used as a sign of importunity (Matt. 7:7, 8; Luke 13:25), and of the coming of Christ (Luke 12:36; Rev. 3:20).

Idioms and Phrases with knock off

knock off

Take a break or rest from, stop, especially quit working. For example, He knocked off work at noon, or Let's knock off at five o'clock. [ ; mid-1600s ]

Also see: knock it off

Also, knock out. Dispose of or produce easily or hastily, finish, as in A writer of detective novels, he knocks off a book a year, or We can knock out a rough drawing in a few minutes. The first colloquial usage dates from the early 1800s, the variant from the mid-1800s.

Get rid of, reduce, as in She knocked off twelve pounds in a month, or They knocked off one-third of the original price. [ ; early 1800s ]

Kill, murder, as in They decided to knock off the old lady. [ ; early 1900s ]

Also see: knock someone's block off

Copy or imitate, especially without permission, as in They are knocking off designer Swiss watches and selling them for a few dollars. [ ; late 1800s ]

Hold up, rob, as in The gang knocked off two liquor stores in half an hour. [ ; early 1900s ]

Also see: knock the socks off