To pull off something is to succeed at something difficult. Nobody thought you would, and you did.
The difficulty is essential, since easy things are not pulled off. It splits round an object, and it covers deals, escapes, performances and comebacks. There are two plain senses too, since pulling off a jumper is removing it and pulling off a road means stopping at the side. Admiration is built into the figurative use, which is why it is such a generous thing to say about somebody.
1phrasepull offTo succeed in doing something difficult.
“If they can pull off a win here, they will go up.”
Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 30 of A Man Called Ove.
Practise this word