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Slow Learner Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

throw off/from

Are there any differences between these 2 sentences

I threw the beef from the fridge.

I threw off the beef in the fridge.

regards
  

Top answer

Do you mean something like "I threw away the beef that was in the fridge"? In casual conversation people do sometimes use "threw" for "threw away", so I suppose the first sentence is just about possible in this sense. But I wouldn't recommend it.

— Mr Wordy

  • Do you mean something like "I threw away the beef that was in the fridge"?
  • In casual conversation people do sometimes use "threw" for "threw away", so I suppose the first sentence is just about possible in this sense.
  • But I wouldn't recommend it.
  • To me it conjures up an image of someone sitting on top of a fridge physically throwing a piece of meat.
  • The second sentence doesn't make any sense.
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7 Answers
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Do you mean something like "I threw away the beef that was in the fridge"?

In casual conversation people do sometimes use "threw" for "threw away", so I suppose the first sentence is just about possible in this sense. But I wouldn't recommend it. To me it conjures up an image of someone sitting on top of a fridge physically throwing a piece of meat. The second sentence doesn't make
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yes

that is what I meant,thanks a lot
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Throw out / throw away = to dispose of.
Throw off = to baffle / to confuse.
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Mr Wordy
Do you mean something like "I threw away the beef that was in the fridge"?

In casual conversation people do sometimes use "threw" for "threw away", so I suppose the first sentence is just about possible in this sense. But I wouldn't recommend it. To me it conjures up an image of someone sitting on top of a fridge physically throwing a piece of
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Grammar GeekI had the same image - but it was entertaining. Like maybe knights dropping the beef onto the heads of the invaders.
I think for plain "threw", without a preposition, to make sense as a colloquialism one would need to say "I threw the beef that was in the fridge [because it was off]".
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Anyway, in the US, I've never heard "I threw" as a short cut for "threw out," but I have heard "tossed."

Where's the cream cheese?

It had mold in it, so I tossed it. OR It had mold in it, so I threw it out. BUT NOT (in the US): *It had mold in it, so I threw it.
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Grammar GeekI've never heard "I threw" as a short cut for "threw out,"
To me, as a Brit, it sounds fine. Maybe it's the company I keep.
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