pass off

British  

verb

1. to be or cause to be accepted or circulated in a false character or identity

   he passed the fake diamonds off as real

2. (intr) to come to a gradual end; disappear

   eventually the pain passed off

3. to emit (a substance) as a gas or vapour, or (of a substance) to be emitted in this way

4. (intr) to take place

   the meeting passed off without disturbance

5. (tr) to set aside or disregard

   I managed to pass off his insult

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pass off Idioms  

1. Misrepresent something or someone, as in They tried to pass off that piece of glass as a gemstone , or Bill passed her off as his sister . [Late 1700s] Also see palm off .

2. Be completed or carried out, take place, as in The meeting passed off without incident . [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

Proponents argue that eel species are effectively indistinguishable when young -- the point at which they are generally traded -- meaning the critically endangered Anguilla anguilla is often being passed off as other species.

From Barron's

“We feel that half of his game is passing off. We’d like to make a shooter out of him tonight.”

From Washington Post

That first time I used my name in public inspired in me the panic I associate with someone trying to pass off a microwaved jar of Prego as a laboriously simmered bolognese.

From Salon

Farmers Weekly, which first reported the story said that the company was passing off industrial scale quantities of foreign pork as British.

From BBC

And then it got to a point when those images were being passed off as every day, and if you’re not taking your kids to school like this, you’re probably not a good mom.

From Los Angeles Times