touch off
English
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
[edit]touch off (third-person singular simple present touches off, present participle touching off, simple past and past participle touched off)
- (transitive, idiomatic) To start (something); to set off traps; especially used for unstable situations that may magnify if disturbed.
- Be cautious talking about religion or politics, lest you touch off an argument.
- (transitive, idiomatic) To cause a fire to start.
- A spark touched off the conflagration.
- (machining) To establish a reference coordinate or datum, by moving the tool head to just touch the workpiece or machine bed.
- A traditional method of touching off uses a piece of thin paper placed between the tool and workpiece.
Translations
[edit]to cause, especially used for unstable situations that may magnify if disturbed
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