Sign off on

[TheFoldOx]

'Off' and 'on' are opposites. So why do more and more people see to insist on 'signing off on' things?

When you complete a form (possibly before someone signs off on it), you're adding details, so you're filling it in. You're not filling it out.

And when that form has been filled out and signed off on, surely someone would simply see it, rather than 'have sight of it'.

Just my three for today!

'sign off on' is a synonym for giving approval, referencing a signature as the origin of the phrase but not requiring an actual one.

To just 'sign off' can also mean to say goodbye or to conclude something.

They are not synonyms, as the former is more precise.

I prefer 'fill in' to 'fill out' but both are n general use with equivalent meaning

I think there's a shade of meaning between 'sight if' and 'see' as well. Having sight of something suggests closer involvement (and perhaps ability to oversee) where as just seeing something doesn't always carry the connotation of close or required attention.

It's a 3-part phrasal verb.
dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sign-off-on-something

"fill in" a form and "fill out" a form are synonyms.
"have sight of" is a more formal way to say "see", probably used in legal, academic use.

A critical part of my team's role involves reviewing and approving or blocking business transactions. Our approvals are called "sign offs," so we often ask whether Project X has been signed off and a typical reply would be "yes I have signed off on Project X." How else would you suggest we phrase it? I guess we could say "yes I have issued the sign off for Project X," but that feels more clumsy.