Escape from punishment; also, obtain a lesser penalty or release for someone. For example, He apologized so profusely that he was sure to get off, or The attorney got her client off with a slap on the wrist. This sense is sometimes amplified to
get off easy or
get off lightly. Where there is no punishment at all, the expression is sometimes put as
get off scot-free, originally meaning “be free from paying a fine or tax (scot),” dating from the 1500s. [Mid-1600s]