"Off the wall" vs. "Off of the wall"

Question

I used to think we should say "keep your hands off the wall", but one of the lines in Money, from Pink Floyd, they say "keep your hands off of my stash". That made me confuse.

Do we always say keep your hands off of something?
How does it work for "keep your hands off (of) the wall"?

Thank you

Possible duplicate of How can I explain to people that the phrase “off of ” is grammatically incorrect?; also see Difference between get “off of” and “off” and “ off of” expressions. — choster, Dec 16 '14 at 14:52

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 16 '14 at 14:50

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The 'of' is superfluous, especially as 'of' is historically an unstressed form of 'off'. It does seem to be popular in rock and pop songs, though: Mick Jagger sings "Hey, you, get off of my cloud!"

answered Dec 16 '14 at 14:50

David Garner

2,137

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Do you have a source you can cite to show that "of" is an unstressed form of "off"? – Kristina Lopez Dec 16 '14 at 14:54
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@KristinaLopez Here's one that suggests that: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=of&searchmode=none – Caleb Dec 16 '14 at 15:39
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Thanks @Caleb! David should include that in his answer - it was helpful! – Kristina Lopez Dec 16 '14 at 16:58
I'd say that QOI has got it right, so I'll leave it that. – David Garner Dec 16 '14 at 17:54

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 16 '14 at 15:05

Just off is correct, and should be used in a formal context. On the other hand, off of is quite popular, and usage dictates correctness in the long run. It's more common in American English than in British English.

I think it's popular because the pair on - off is similar in usage to in - out, and out goes with of in the same kind of sentences off of is used. E.g. Get out of my house. Get off (of) the table.

"Off the wall" vs. "Off of the wall"

2 Answers2