off the hook
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
off the hook¹
Where it comes from
An allusion to a fish caught on the hook of a fishing line.
adjective
-
Relieved of a duty, burden, responsibility, or pressure.
off the hook for
Opposite: on the hook
off the hook²
Where it comes from
Referring to the candlestick phone, which in order to hang up, the receiver must be hung on a hook. Leaving the receiver off the hook would prevent it from being able to receive calls.
adjective
- Of a telephone, having an open connection; not hung up. I think he left the phone off the hook so that nobody would call him.
- Of a telephone, ringing frequently. The phone was ringing off the hook all night.
off the hook³
Where it comes from
Unknown.
adjective
- Performing extraordinarily well. That's five three-pointers in a row! Smith is off the hook!
- Fresh, cool, trendy, excellent, incredible. That party was off the hook!
Translations
Talk about this word "off the hook." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/off%20the%20hook. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. off the hook. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/off%20the%20hook "off the hook." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/off%20the%20hook.Cite this
@misc{off_the_hook_2026,
title = {off the hook},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/off%20the%20hook},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
