off-the-shelf

[awf-thuh-shelf, of-]

adjective

1. readily available from merchandise in stock.

2. made according to a standardized format; not developed for specialized or individual needs; ready-made.

   off-the-shelf computer programs.

off the shelf

adverb

1. from stock and readily available

   you can have this model off the shelf

adjective

1. of or relating to a product that is readily available

   an off-the-shelf model

2. of or denoting a company that has been registered with the Registrar of Companies for the sole purpose of being sold

Word History and Origins

Origin of off the shelf¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Idioms and Phrases

Ready-made, available from merchandise or in stock, as opposed to a special order. For example, Sometimes you can get a better discount by buying an appliance off the shelf. [First half of 1900s] Also see off the rack; on the shelf.

Example Sentences

A local Lubbock news outlet reported on a large drugstore where vitamin A supplements and cod liver oil, which contains high levels of vitamin A, were “flying off the shelf.”

From Salon

“So many books for young people are being taken off the shelf,” said Fritzi Bodenheimer, spokesperson for the Brooklyn Public Library in New York.

From Los Angeles Times

"It will be very customized, it will not be something just off the shelf," he says.

From BBC

If in some ways “The Waterfront” feels assembled off the shelf, there’s enough activity that some viewers, possibly a lot of them, will dig in just to see how this thing caroms into that.

From Los Angeles Times

Some shops have the devices available to buy off the shelf - but in most cases customers have been picking up consoles they had ordered in advance, with UK retailer Currys calling it its "biggest gaming pre-order ever."

From BBC