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Pepitone in Japan Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

offset by ...

In the sentences below, I don’t figure out what ‘offset by ...’ means. Does the second sentence mean something like “If you make your mouth clean before your date, your smile will look the better and attract the other person”?
(I think both “a bright smile” and “fresh-smelling breath” are examples of what helps your date succeed. Am I right?)

Before asking if she (or he) would like to go out on a date with you, get some nice clothes and do some extra grooming. A bright smile offset by fresh-smelling breath works wonders.
  

Top answer

Here, "offset" is a verb meaning "balanced" - a smile, balanced by good breath, is something good. However, this is unusual - and therefore, confusing - usage, since "offset" typically means "make up for" or "counterbalance," which makes no sense in this situation. "

— Anonymous

  • Here, "offset" is a verb meaning "balanced" - a smile, balanced by good breath, is something good.
  • However, this is unusual - and therefore, confusing - usage, since "offset" typically means "make up for" or "counterbalance," which makes no sense in this situation.
  • "
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2 Answers
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Here, "offset" is a verb meaning "balanced" - a smile, balanced by good breath, is something good. However, this is unusual - and therefore, confusing - usage, since "offset" typically means "make up for" or "counterbalance," which makes no sense in this situation. I'm a native English speaker in the US, and I was confused by this usage and had to look up the meanings of "offset." This is not g
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Thank you very much for your reply. It was very convincing and useful.

(For your information, the writing is from a weekly newspaper (for English learners) published in Japan.)
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