one-off
adjective, noun
Forms one-offs
- adjective Occurring once, independent of any pattern; one-time. “The government insisted that the embarrassing loss of the tax records was a one-off event.”
- adjective Special; remarkable; rare; unusual.
- noun (idiomatic, Commonwealth) Something that is done, created, etc. only once, and often quickly, simply, or improvisationally. “I'll put together a quick one-off as a sample so we can taste the recipe.”
- noun Something unique and remarkable. “It is a one-off; there is nothing else like it.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From one + off. Probably from foundry work, in which molds are expensive and generally made to be reusable.
A term long used by artists who are printmakers and sculptors to indicate a unique print or casting. If using traditional edition numbering, a one-off would be a "1/1", which is said, "one of one" meaning the first print in an edition of one.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “one-off”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details