Of

preposition, rarely particle, NP junctor

often marks a possessor, or a filiation with a larger ensemble

• That car of hers is a real mess.
• That kid of his is a real mess.
• That part of the house is a real mess.

etymology

from off

translation

Most often, de

NP junctor

N1 of N2 vs. N2 N1

• school of music // music school
• a friend of mine // my friend
• the ace of spades // *the king of white
• the spade ace // the white king
• left of center ≠ center left

partitive

• part of the picture
• a piece of the pie
• made up of visible and other, darker matters

more complicated cases

• a hell of a problem
• that jerk (of a) brother of mine