tee2

[tee] /ti/
noun
1.
Golf.
  1. Also called teeing ground. the starting place, usually a hard mound of earth, at the beginning of play for each hole.
  2. a small wooden, plastic, metal, or rubber peg from which the ball is driven, as in teeing off.
2.
Football. a device on which the ball may be placed to raise it off the ground preparatory to kicking.
verb (used with object), teed, teeing.
3.
Golf. to place (the ball) on a tee.
Verb phrases
4.
tee off,
  1. Golf. to strike the ball from a tee.
  2. Slang. to reprimand severely; scold:
    He teed off on his son for wrecking the car.
  3. Informal. to begin:
    They teed off the program with a medley of songs.
  4. Baseball, Softball. to make many runs and hits, especially extra-base hits:
    teeing off for six runs on eight hits, including three doubles and a home run.
  5. Baseball, Softball. to hit (a pitched ball) hard and far:
    He teed off on a fastball and drove it into the bleachers.
  6. Boxing. to strike with a powerful blow, especially to the head:
    He teed off on his opponent with an overhand right.
  7. Slang. to make angry, irritated, or disgusted:
    She was teed off because her dinner guests were late.
Origin
1665-75; origin uncertain
British Dictionary definitions for tee off

tee off

verb (adverb)
1.
(golf) to strike (the ball) from a tee, as when starting a hole
2.
(informal) to begin; start

tee1

/tiː/
noun
1.
a pipe fitting in the form of a letter T, used to join three pipes
2.
a metal section with a cross section in the form of a letter T, such as a rolled-steel joist
3.
any part or component shaped like a T

tee2

/tiː/
noun
1.
Also called teeing ground. an area, often slightly elevated, from which the first stroke of a hole is made
2.
a support for a golf ball, usually a small wooden or plastic peg, used when teeing off or in long grass, etc
verb tees, teeing, teed
3.
when intr, often foll by up. to position (the ball) ready for striking, on or as if on a tee
See also tee off
Word Origin
C17 teaz, of unknown origin

tee3

/tiː/
noun
1.
a mark used as a target in certain games such as curling and quoits
Word Origin
C18: perhaps from T-shaped marks, which may have originally been used in curling
Word Origin and History for tee off

tee

n.

in golf, 1721, back-formation from teaz (1673), taken as a plural; a Scottish word of uncertain origin. The original form was a little heap of sand. The verb meaning "place a ball on a golf tee" is recorded from 1673; figurative sense of "to make ready" (usually with up) is recorded from 1938. Teed off in the figurative sense of "angry, annoyed" is first recorded 1953, probably as a euphemism for p(iss)ed off.

Slang definitions & phrases for tee off

tee off

verb phrase

To hit someone or something very hard: He hit a homer, really teed off

[1953+; fr the opening shot of each hole in golf, off the tee]


Related Abbreviations for tee off

tee

T-shirt

TEE

transesophageal echocardiography
Idioms and Phrases with tee off

tee off

.
Start or begin, as in We teed off the fundraising drive with a banquet. This usage is a metaphor taken from golf, where tee off means “start play by driving a golf ball from the tee.” [ Second half of 1900s ]
.
Make angry or irritated, as in That rude comment teed him off, or I was teed off because it rained all weekend. [ ; mid-1900s ]
Also see: tick off