What does "offhand" and "chance remark" mean in the following? What does "offhand" and "chance remark" mean in the following? Thank you in advance! Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Let Fern associate with her friends in the barn if she wants to. I would say, offhand, that spiders and pigs were fully as interesting as Henry Fussy. Yet I predict that the day will come when even Henry will drop some chance remark that catches Fern's attention. It's amazing how children change from year to year.