cuff

Everyday

1. A cuff is the end part of a sleeve, around the wrist. tree →
2. (US) A cuff is a turned-up fold at the bottom of a trouser leg (UK: turn-up). tree →
3. Cuffs (informal) are handcuffs, and to cuff someone is to put handcuffs on them. tree →
4. To cuff someone is to hit them lightly with an open hand; a cuff is such a light hit. tree →
5. A cuff is a band put round the arm to measure blood pressure. tree →

In the lessons

In clothes, a shirt cuff may have a button or a cufflink. In crime stories, police «cuff» a suspect. In older stories, a «cuff round the ear» was a light slap (hitting children is wrong and is banned in many places). Phrases: «off the cuff» (said without preparing), «on the cuff» (US, on credit).

Examples

• The cuffs of my school shirt are dirty. tree →
• He rolled up his cuffs to wash his hands. tree →
• The police cuffed the thief and put him in the car. tree →
• In the old story, the boy got a cuff round the ear. tree →
• She gave a funny speech off the cuff, without notes. tree →
• The nurse put a cuff on Grandma's arm to check her blood pressure. tree →
• His jeans had wide cuffs at the bottom. tree →
• Fairies indeed are strange, and Peter, who understood them best, often cuffed them. tree →

Note

Countable: cuffs. Regular verb: cuffed. «Off the cuff» means unprepared, not «off the sleeve». Cufflinks are small fasteners for shirt cuffs.