Definition of the word tick off

The origin of the phrase "tick off" can be traced back to British English in the late 1960s. At the time, people were using a device called a "tickler card" or "tickling card" as a memory aid or to-do list. These cards had boxes or sections that could be ticked off when a task was completed. The term "tick off" originally meant "to mark off or check a task on a tickler card," as in "I've ticked off all my chores for the day." Though it started as a specific financial term related to reconciliations on ledger cards, it has since broadened to include any task or chore that needs to be completed and marked off. In contemporary English, "tick off" is commonly used to mean "to check or mark as finished" in conversations, writing, and professional contexts. It's a concise and efficient expression that has become a frequent part of everyday speech and is unlikely to disappear from the English dictionary any time soon.