get off to a good/bad start to start well or badly in a race, business etc. start off 1. to begin a journey. It's time we started off. 2. to cause or allow something to begin, someone to start doing something etc. The money lent to him by his father started him off as a ...
In short, we were married, and very happily married on my side, I assure you, as to the man; for he was the best-humoured man that every woman had, but his circumstances were not so good as I imagined, as, on the other hand, he had not bettered himself by marrying so much as...