off the reel

Variant of reel

intransitive verb

  1. to give way or fall back; sway, waver, or stagger as from being struck
  2. to lurch or stagger about, as from drunkenness or dizziness
  3. to go around and around; whirl
  4. to feel dizzy; have a sensation of spinning or whirling

Origin: ME relen < the n.: from the sensation of whirling

transitive verb

to cause to reel

noun

a reeling motion; whirl, stagger, etc.

Origin: ME rele < OE hreol: see reel

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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