When Did "One Off" Take Off?

[Lombro2]

This question seems to have caused some displeasure resulting in some censure.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read what was said so I'll put the question here with the appropriate Google Ngram.


When did "One Off" take off?

[Sam Flynn]

Here's one of my favourites, namely "spread(ing) mayhem"

[Iconoclast]

One of my favourites too. Looks like 'spreading mayhem' has never been popularly recorded in the books sampled by Google Ngrams (which the Viscount L. has shown escalated rapidly in the 20th century, somewhat biasing against the 19th century).

[Lombro2]

"One off" took off in 2000.

So the question is, Why did this fact cause my fellow debunkers so much vexation, to the point of spreading "mayhem" in the sense Edgar Rice Burroughs used it in Tarzan of the Apes in 1912?

[Sam Flynn]

"One off" took off in 2000.

So the question is, Why did this fact cause my fellow debunkers so much vexation, to the point of spreading "mayhem" in the sense Edgar Rice Burroughs used it in Tarzan of the Apes in 1912?

Mayhem back then meant physical injury. It only took on its present meanting of "chaos/disorder" in the latter half of the 20th century, and it is in this sense that the diary author(s) used it.

[Lombro2]

I should explain the "one off" question fairly and simply.


One-off, two-off, three-off etc. originated as production terms for quantities of items produced that may or may not be unique.

In the 40s, "one-off" began to be used in print to describe something unique. It didn't mean one item necessarily. It could be a one-off person, or it could be a one-off car and they made hundreds of them. Obviously, he picked the term "one-off" and not "a hundred off".

Then the term "one-off" was used to describe abstract as well as physical objects.


Here is an example of how term "one off" is used or misused today from an article just last week. It's used like in the diary to refer to an aberration rather than something "unique" but it adds "unusual" as an adjective.




Matthews, Marner finish with worst plus-minus by any Leafs player since 1991-92

[Iconoclast]

I should explain the "one off" question fairly and simply.

Viscount L., you are about 13.8 billion light years behind Lord Orsam on this. I wouldn't try schooling anyone on 'one-off' whilst it is not illegal for him to have his own website.