We took off.
As our airplane left the runway, my grandson whispered "we took off". That phrase suddenly struck me as odd. How did "take off" come to describe the ascent of an aircraft? I invented an early hot-air...
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Probably just a natural development of "take off" = go or run away *, as in these cites:c1813 MRS. SHERWOOD Stories Ch. Catech. xiii. (1873) 112 Dick ran out..and took off into the great bazar. 1825...
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That would be interesting to know exactly how it came to be. One would think "left off" would have won out, instead.
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We do take our leave of things, so maybe it's not such a leap to take off. As in (edit) a pic in some site somewhere on the net which on reflection was totally unconnected, so I deleted it. I do this...
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Doesn't NASA say "lift off"? We say "took off" in other situations. 'He "took off" and joined the army.' 'He was here earlier but he "took off" sick/to pick up his kids/to go to the airport.'
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