Red Herrings & White Elephants by Albert Jack

October 6th 2004


Off the Cuff Remarks

Off The Cuff means speaking without notes or carrying out a task with no real preparation. In Victorian times men wore shirts with stiff, detachable collars and cuffs, making them easier to keep clean. In order to give the impression they were speaking to an audience from the heart politicians and after dinner speakers would like to address gatherings without any visible script or notes. They would, however, write key notes about topics they would like to cover on their cuffs which they could refer to from time to time. They might also make additional notes during the speech of a fellow politician so they would be reminded to counter any points made by their opponents. This all gave the impression the speaker was fully prepared and articulate enough not to need a script but in fact they had notes all the time, written out on the cuffs.