1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v. Knock-off, to give over Thieving.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v., knock-off, to conclude.
1860. Dickens, Uncommercial Traveller, v. p. 25. Jack had knocked off work in the docks some hours.
1865. Pall Mall Gaz., 4 Mar. Iron ship builders and other employers will have to knock off.
1883. Daily Telegraph, 10 Aug., p. 6, col. 1. Another half-pint when he knocks off in the evening, and before he starts for home to his late tea.
1883. Greenwood, Odd People etc., 'Genteel Slang' . . . With your leave or without, he must knock off at midday.
1884. W. C. Russell, Jack's Courtship, xvii. 'Why, I heard that you had knocked off the sea some years ago—come into an estate.'
2. (colloquial).—To dispatch with ease; to put out of hand.
1886. Westminster Rev., cxxv. 292. He could knock off a parody, a drinking song.
1891. Pall Mall Gazette, 29 Nov. p. 6, col. 2. Here is a specimen of the 'consumptive manner' as knocked off by Mr. Lang.
3. (colloquial).—To deduct; to 'knock so much off the price'.
4. (colloquial).—To die.
d. 1704. Tom Brown, Works, iv. 183. Perverse people . . . that would not knock off in any reasonable time but lived long on purpose to spite their relation.
To knock one bandy, verb. phr. (tailors').—To astound; To flabbergast (q.v.).
To knock on the head, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To frustrate; to spoil; to settle.
To knock out, verb. phr. (auctioneers').—1 .See knock-out.
2. (racing).—To bet so persistently against a horse that from a short price he retires to an outside place: to drive out of the quotations.
1876. Hindley, Adventures of a Cheap Jack, p. 203. The concern would either remain for a time in shares or would be knocked out at once.
1883. Pall Mall Gazette, 16 April, p. 4, col. 1. Foxhall . . . was second favourite for some time, but he has now been knocked out to comparatively long odds.
3. (common).—To make bankrupt: Knocked out = unable to meet engagements.
4. (pugilistic).—See subs. sense 4 and Knock out of time.
1891. Daily Telegraph, 21 Mar. For the third time this year, they managed, after a drawn game, to knock out the much fancied Sunderland team.
5. (Oxford University).—To leave college after hours: of out of college men only. See Knock in and Knocking out.
1861. H. Kingsley, Ravenshoe, vii. Five out-college men had knocked out at a quarter to three, refusing to give any name but the dean's.
1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, xlv. p. 503 [ed. 1864]. 'Hullo!' he said, getting up; 'time for me to knock out, or old Copas will be in bed.'
To knock out of time, verb. phr. (pugilistic).—So to punish an opponent that he is not able to answer the call of 'Time'.
1884. Saturday Review, 16 Jan., p. 108, col. 1. A man of weak physique is apt to be knocked out of time by a more robust though less skilful adversary.
1891. Licensed Vict. Minor, 30 Jan., p. 7, col. 2. He had, in fact, almost played with Tom with the gloves, and once, at Jem Ward's benefit, when both were a little bit pricked, had knocked the Redditch man bang off his legs, and very nearly out of time.
To knock the spots off (or out of), verb. phr. (American).—To surpass; to confound; to thrash; to excel.
