NotPhrase Off Of Needs Eliminating
With [tag]baseball season[/tag] upon us, one of my favorite (not!) NotPhrases is back in constant use, to wit:
“There goes a line drive off of the bat of Joe Baseballer.” Or, “He just got a hit off of pitcher Sam Flamethrower.”
I’m here to reaffirm that off of is not just redundant but incorrect. How about, “There goes a line drive off the bat of…” and “He just got a hit off pitcher…”?
Of course, these are jocks and sports announcers using this construction, but a lot of people hear “off of” and think nothing of it and even use it themselves as a consequence.
Just stick to off, as in, “Get off my back with your lousy English.”
Posted by Gary McCarty
“a fall off of a tree” - Shakespeare, 2 Henry VI