lock-off

Noun

lockoff (plural lockoffs)

1. Any of various mechanisms that prevent a device or circuit from operating under certain circumstances, typically as a safety feature.
   • A highly desirable feature is an atmospheric lockoff which tends to close the fuel line to the carburetor tighter as the pressure of the gas behind the valve increases.1953, Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE Transactions - Volume 61, page 138
2. A lockdown of part of a facility.
   • On my way I got caught in a "lockoff" and security said nobody could move. When I told them it was an emergency, they just said that was too bad — it was a "lockoff" and I ought to understand the rules.1972, Charles R. Tittle, Society of Subordinates: Inmate Organization in a Narcotic Hospital, page 48
3. The act of fixing a ground anchor in place at a specific tension calculated to accommodate the expected load. Also, the tension at which the ground anchor has been fixed.
   • The amount of load locked into a tie depends upon the earth pressures and their distributions assumed for the wall . The following recommended lockoff loads are intended to serve as a guideline for use.1975, United States. Federal Highway Administration. Offices of Research and Development, Report No. FHWA-RD, page 265
4. A device for securing a rope, strap, or cable at a particular level of tension.
   • The acceptance of lockoff has opened up new deck layout possibilities where winch placement and use can be made more flexible.1979, Anne Madden, More Sail Trim, page 236
5. The act of pulling down on a hold with one arm until the arm is fully bent at the elbow and using that arm to support one's weight.
   • Start with your arm and shoulder fully extended, then smoothly pull the handle down into a full lockoff.2003, Will Gadd, Ice & Mixed Climbing, page 212
6. A type of shot in which the camera is fixed to a mount and unable to move.
   • A shot in which the camera changes position, via a pan, dolly, truck, crane, and/or boom, during the filming of aciton. Opposite of a lockoff shot.2001, Karen Goulekas, Visual Effects in a Digital World, page 325

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