take off, v.² — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

take off v.²

[the sl. use derives immediately from aircraft imagery, but take off, to go off, to start off, to run away, has been SE since early 19C]

1. to die.

1903		‘Hugh McHugh’ Out for the Coin 27: Mighty sudden taking off, but a ge’man, suh, right up to the finish of the funeral ce’monies.
1912		E. Pugh Harry The Cockney 163: ‘Lord, if I was to be took off, though!’ [...] ‘Took off!’ I stammered. ‘It’s only your corn, isn’t it?’.
1937		‘Red Collar Man’ ‘Chokey’ 182: Jame’s body was gently swaying, suspended from his neck to two handkerchiefs tied to the electric light conduit. [...] He had only just ‘taken off.’.
1960		C. Himes Big Gold Dream 69: My God, don’t tell me another one has dropped dead — took off — departed, I mean.

2. (US black) to start talking.

1944

D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 16: What did the banter take off with?

3. in drug uses [i.e. to get high adj.¹ (3)].

(a) to take narcotics.

1953		‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 61: Do you mind if I take off here?
1964		Larner & Tefferteller Addict in the Street (1966) 70: You want a shot, Dom? You want to take off?
1966		J. Mills Panic in Needle Park (1971) 12: When he has finally injected the heroin (he calls it ‘shooting up,’ ‘taking off,’ ‘getting off’), he may or may not go on a ‘nod’ — his eyelids heavy, his mind wandering pleasantly — depending on how much heroin his body has become accustomed to.
1971		R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 66: She would often as me to let her take off in my room.

(b) to feel the effects of a drug.

1947		B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 34: Pass that opium pipe around and let’s all take off.
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 156: They’d just taken off an hour before.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).

4. to go to, to visit; to leave.

1951		C. Stoker Thicker ’n Thieves 106: The following Sunday when I saw Brenda take off, I went into action, immediately calling Captain Wingard .
1957		‘Nino Culotta’ They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 105: She takes orf to ’er sister’s place when we ’ave a bucks’ party.
1961		C. Cooper Jr Weed (1998) 162: She takes off to the doc and lets him clean her button.
1982		W.D. Myers Won’t Know Till I Get There 115: My father was going to take off and take her up there.
1990		Sydney Morn. Herald 10 May 6/4: Ever since I’ve been back inside I’ve wanted to take off again.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 333: I [...] told him about Natalie taking off.

take off like a big-assed bird (v.) (also run like..., take off like a cut cat) [SE + -arsed sfx]

(US) to leave very quickly.

1955		T. Goethals Chains of Command 104: Tell me, why’d you grab those bars and take off like a big-assed bird?
1959		A. Morgan One Star General 60: As soon as you hear me firing, hoist the sergeant on your back and take off like a big-assed bird for the lines.
1960		J.L. Herlihy All Fall Down (1990) 185: And any time I want to, I put this stuff in my pocket, and take off like a big- assed bird.
1979		(con. c.1970) G. Hasford Short Timers (1985) 99: Lieutenant Shortround blows a whistle and then we’re all running like big-assed birds.
1990		(con. c.1970) G. Hasford Phantom Blooper 113: I turn away and run like a big-assed bird, clumsy, limping, but ignoring the pain, thinking only that I either find cover most ricky-tick or my health record is going to be turned into a fuck story.
1993		T. Winton Lockie Leonard: Scumbuster (1995) 121: Well, you took off like a cut cat.