keep off something—
1. remain at a distance from smth.:
- In an election which seems to have been fair, the Spanish police kept off the streets.
2. prevent smth. from coming near or happening:
- The ships were wintered by dismantling the riggings and covering the hulls with planks to keep off the snow.
3. avoid mentioning a particular subject:
- They have all along been on the aggressive. It has been their way of keeping off the question of the Papal authority.
4. refrain from smth.:
- It should become standard practice to have someone as the evening’s designated driver, that person agreeing to keep off alcohol.
keep something off— = keep off something 2:
- The idea is that you would have a simple shelter that goes over your driveway to keep the snow off.