cast on, cast off
English wrings every meaning it can from some words, to wit (from The Concise OED):
cast, v.t. & i. (cast). Throw (poet, or archaic exc. in spec, uses, as : c. dice ; c. a vote, give or deposit it ; c. lots ; c. ashore ; c. net, hook, fly ; casting-net, one thrown & at once drawn in ; c. the lead l , in sounding ; c. anchor ; c. in one's teeth, reproach him with, that ; c. an eye, glance, look ; c. a spell on, bewitch ; c. light, a shadow, on; c. blame, one's cares, upon ; c. into prison) ; overthrow in a lawsuit ; throw off, get rid of, lose, (c. not a clout till May be out ; c. aside, give up using, abandon ; horse casts shoe ; snake, deer, c. slough, horns ; cow, tree, c. calf, fruit, drop prematurely; c. soldier, policeman, horse, dismiss, reject ; c. loose, de- tach, detach oneself) ; reckon, calculate, (c. accounts, do sums ; c. a column of figures &c, add up ; c. a horoscope or nativity) ; arrange (c. facts into such a shape ; c. actors for parts, parts to actors) ; form, found, (molten metal) into some shape, (figure &c.) of metal, whence
ca'stING i(2) n. ; c. about, go this way & that in search, devise means, (for, to do, how); c. away, reject, (pass., of ship) be wrecked ; c. back, revert ; c. down, depress ; c. in one's lot with, share fortunes of; c. off, abandon, (Knitting) close loops & make selvedge ; c. up, calculate, [f. ON kasta perh. cogn. w. L gerere gest- ; it displaced OE weorpan, & has been displaced in ordinary literal use by throw]
cast 2 , n. Throw of missile &c, distance so attained, (archaic) ; throw, number thrown, at dice, whence chance or try; throw of net, sounding-lead, or fishing-line (also in fishing the fly with hook & gut; & good, bad, &c. place for casting) ; casual lift in cart &c. ; un- digested food thrown up by hawk, owl, &c. ; calculation, adding of columns in account; set of actors taking the parts in play, or the distribution among them ; form into which any work is thrown ; model made by running molten metal or pressing soft material into mould (also the negative mould itself) ; twist, inclination, (c. in eye, slight squint) ; tinge- shade, of colour; type, quality, (esp. c. Oj features, c. of mind), [f. prec]
p.s.
a'nehor 1 (-k-), n. Heavy iron, composed of long shank, with ring at one end to which cable is fastened, and at other end two barbed arms, used for mooring ship to bottom of water ; sheet, bower, hedge, -a., (largest, middle, smallest size) ; (fig.) source of confidence ; **cast, weigh, a., let down, take up, a. ;** at a., anchored ; come to (an) a., anchor; a.-plate, heavy piece of timber or metal serving as point of support for cables of suspension-bridge &c. ; a.-watch, watch set while ship lies at anchor. [OE ancor f. L ancora (not anch-) perh. cogn. w. or adop- tion of Gk agkura (st. agk- hook)]