Idiom
score off
Meaning
To defeat (especially in an argument), get the better of, achieve a success over, gain an advantage or win points over, make a point to the detriment or at the expense of, make appear foolish. Sometimes with particle on (someone).
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He always tries to score off his brother in every argument.”
“She felt clever when she managed to score off her boss by pointing out his mistake during the meeting.”
“The politician sought to score off his opponent by highlighting the inconsistencies in his previous public statements during the televised debate.”
Examples
simple
“He always tries to score off his brother in every argument.”
contextual
“She felt clever when she managed to score off her boss by pointing out his mistake during the meeting.”
complex
“The politician sought to score off his opponent by highlighting the inconsistencies in his previous public statements during the televised debate.”
Origin
score + off
Key words
Related idioms
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