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general::
Phrase(s): eat something off
Go to eat something off (of) something and eat something off, Phrase(s): eat something off (of) something [and] eat something off
to erode something off a larger part. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) • The acidic rain ate the finish off the steeple. • The acid ate off the finish.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs