affhand

Scots

Alternative forms

• affhan, affhan', aff-han', aff han', aff-haun
• aff-hand, aff hand

Etymology

From Middle English *ofhande, *ofhende, from Old English ofhende (“absent, lost”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *abahandijaz; equivalent to aff- +‎ hand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑfˈhɑn(d)/

Adverb

affhand (not comparable)

1. Without delay, at once; extempore, on the spur of the moment, without deliberation; in a free and easy manner.

Adjective

affhand (comparative mair affhand, superlative maist affhand)

1. Done off-hand; careless, free and easy, unpremeditated; unceremonious, brusque

References

• “affhand, adv., adv. phr., adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.