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p water and no need of a pilot; also, distance from the shore; as, the ship had ten miles offing; we saw a ship in the offing.

In a scoffing manner. Broome.

he fewness of their enemies, came down amain. Milton. That striping giant, ill-bred and scoffing, shouts amain. T. Parker.

The serrated vibratory doffing knife of a carding machine.

To destroy; to make null. [Obs.] [Profane scoffing] doth . . . deface the reverence of religion. Bacon. For all his power was utterly defaste [defaced]. Spenser.

The act of enfeoffing.

, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Feoffed; p. pr. & vb. n.. Feoffing.] Etym: [OE. feffen, OF. feffer, fieffer, F. fieffer, fr. fief fief; cf. LL. feoffare, fefare. See Fief.] (Law)

The fine web of cotton or wool removed by the doffing knife from the cylinder of a carding machine. Fleece wool, wool shorn from the sheep. -- Golden fleece. See under Golden.

Irreligious; scoffing.

To utter sarcastic or scoffing reflections; to speak with mockery or derision; to use taunting language; to scoff; as, to jeer at a speaker. But when he saw her toy and gibe and jeer. Spenser.

Mocking; scoffing. -- n.

Pertaining to, or resembling, the devil Mephistopheles, "a crafty, scoffing, relentless fiend;" devilish; crafty.

With scoffing or insulting language.

The act of scoffing; scoffing conduct; mockery. Holinshed.

Jesting; jeering; scoffing. [Obs.] South. -- Scop"tic*al*ly, adv. [Obs.]

Scoffing; scurrilous. [A Latinism. Obs.] "Subject to the petulancy of every vernaculous orator." B. Jonson.