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[1363] Take off (clothes/airplane/career)

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English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • 1. (Clothes): To remove an item of clothing.
  • 2. (Airplane): To leave the ground and begin flight.
  • 3. (Career/Project/Popularity): To become successful or popular very quickly.
  • Can also mean to leave suddenly (He took off without saying goodbye) or to take time off work/study. This entry focuses on the three main meanings listed.

Origin

  • 1. (Clothes): Take (move/remove) + off (indicating separation from the body).
  • 2. (Airplane): Take (initiate action) + off (indicating separation from the ground).
  • 3. (Career etc.): Metaphorical extension of the airplane meaning; the career/product 'lifts off' into success.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • (Clothes): Remove, undo, shed.
  • (Airplane): Depart, lift off, become airborne.
  • (Career): Become successful, boom, skyrocket, flourish, blow up (slang).

Alternatives

Clothes:

  • Slang/Informal: Peel off (if hot/sweaty), Ditch (get rid of).
  • Milder/Formal: Remove, Disrobe (formal, literary).

Airplane:

  • Slang/Informal: Get airborne.
  • Milder/Formal: Depart, Ascend.

Career/Success:

  • Slang/Informal: Blow up (become very popular suddenly), Catch fire (become very popular/successful quickly), Hit the big time.
  • Vulgar/Emphatic: His career fucking exploded.
  • Milder/Formal: Flourish, Prosper, Gain prominence, Experience rapid growth.

Situational Appropriateness

  • (Clothes): Neutral, everyday use.
  • (Airplane): Neutral, standard term.
  • (Career): Informal to neutral. Common in discussing business, arts, trends.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • The multiple meanings require attention to context. He took off could mean he removed clothing, his plane departed, his career became successful, or he left suddenly. Context usually makes the intended meaning clear.

Examples

  • (Clothes): Take off your coat, it's warm inside.
  • (Airplane): The plane is scheduled to take off at 3 PM.
  • (Career): Her acting career really took off after that movie.
  • (Popularity): That new social media app really took off this year.

Dialogue

Scenario (Career):

Eve: Have you heard of that new singer, Luna?

Finn: Vaguely. Why?

Eve: Her career has just completely taken off! Her debut song went viral on TikTok, and now she's everywhere.

Finn: Wow, that's amazing! Good for her.

Social Media Examples

  • Tweet (Airplane): Flight delayed, still waiting to take off 🙄 #travelwoes #airportlife
  • Instagram Post (Career): So proud of my friend @[ArtistName]! Her art career is really taking off check out her latest exhibition! #art #success
  • TikTok (Trend): This new dance challenge is really taking off! Have you tried it yet? #viral #dancechallenge

Response Patterns

  • (Clothes): Compliance (Okay), or explanation (I'm cold, actually).
  • (Airplane): Acknowledgement (Okay), checking time (Good, we're on schedule).
  • (Career): Agreement/Enthusiasm (Yeah, she became famous overnight!), Inquiry (Really? What happened?).

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

  • (Clothes): The person usually removes the clothing item.
  • (Airplane): Passengers prepare for departure; discussion about the flight.
  • (Career): Discussion about the reasons for success, subsequent projects, etc. What's she working on now?

Conversation Starter

  • Can be used to start talking about travel plans (What time does your flight take off?) or someone's success (Did you hear about...? Their career has really taken off!). Less common for clothes unless giving an instruction.

Intonation

  • Stress usually falls on TAKE and OFF.
  • TAKE OFF your coat. / The plane TOOK OFF. / Her career TOOK OFF.

Generation Differences

  • All meanings are common across generations. Slang alternatives like blow up might be more common among younger people.

Regional Variations

  • Widely used in all major English-speaking regions for all meanings.
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