pick off

pick off
{v.} 1. To pull off; remove with the fingers. * /He picked off the burs that had stuck to his overcoat./ 2. To shoot, one at a time; knock down one by one. * /The sniper picked off the slower soldiers as they came out into the road./ 3. To catch a base runner off base by throwing the ball quickly to a fielder who tags him out. * /The pitcher turned around suddenly and threw to the second baseman to pick the runner off second base./ Compare: OFF BASE. 4. To catch and, especially in football, to intercept. * /Alert defenders picked off three of Jack's passes./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Synonyms:
, , / , (as a marksman)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Pick off — Pick off, v. t. 1. (Baseball) to put out a baserunner who is off base by tagging him/her, especially by a quick throw from the pitcher or catcher. [PJC] 2. to shoot so as to kill or disable, especially one by one from a position or in a situation …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pick off — ► pick off shoot (one of a group) from a distance. Main Entry: ↑pick …   English terms dictionary

  • pick-off — pick′ off n. spo a baseball play in which a base runner, caught off base, is tagged out by an infielder on a quick throw • Etymology: 1935–40 …   From formal English to slang

  • pick|off — «PIHK F, OF», noun. 1. a baseball play in which a runner is caught off base by a sudden throw from the pitcher or catcher: »They proved that a perfect pickoff at first could be foozled not once but again (New York Times). 2. an offensive play in… …   Useful english dictionary

  • pick off — verb 1. shoot one by one (Freq. 1) • Hypernyms: ↑shoot, ↑pip • Verb Frames: Somebody s somebody 2. pull or pull out sharply (Freq. 1) pluck the flowers off the bush …   Useful english dictionary

  • pick off — 1. verb a) An attempt to throw out a runner leading off a base. The pitcher attempted to pick off the runner at first, but he was safe. b) Successfully picking off a runner. The pitcher picked off the runner to get an out …   Wiktionary

  • pick off — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms pick off : present tense I/you/we/they pick off he/she/it picks off present participle picking off past tense picked off past participle picked off to shoot people, animals, or aircraft one by one by aiming at …   English dictionary

  • pick·off — /ˈpıkˌɑːf/ noun, pl offs [count] US baseball : a play in which a runner who is close to a base is tagged out when the pitcher or catcher quickly throws the ball to that base He made a pickoff throw to third base. see also pick off at ↑pick, 1 …   Useful english dictionary

  • pick-off — /pik awf , of /, n. 1. Baseball. a play in which a base runner, caught off base, is tagged out by an infielder on a quick throw, usually from the pitcher or catcher. 2. Electronics. a mechanism that senses mechanical motion and produces a… …   Universalium

  • pick off — phr verb Pick off is used with these nouns as the object: ↑shelf …   Collocations dictionary

  • pick off — pick (someone/something) off 1. to kill or shoot one person or animal at a time. Snipers picked the soldiers off one by one. The birds in the nest were picked off by hawks. 2. to select and attack or defeat a particular person or group. During… …   New idioms dictionary

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