off-the-wall en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Perhaps from baseball or other games played with a ball, alluding to unpredictable bounces; but compare also bounce off the walls.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) Wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd.
She is a very off-the-wall character.
What makes it surprising, though, are the glimmers of wit and self-awareness beneath all the rap star swagger and over-the-top confrontations. Even the fervid finale had a few off-the-wall side jokes.
2015 March 19, Alessandra Stanley, “'Empire' Finale Review: A Sizzling End to Season One”, in New York Times:What kind of a harebrained, off-the-wall idea is that?
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(idiomatic) Of a person's behaviour: greatly inappropriate.
All of their friends were amazed that they were familiar with a war hero. Some began to understand Chips' moods and drinking. His "off the wall" behaviour at times. And unknowingly they were "forgiving" him.
2012, Reginald Pierce, The Paladin, page 204:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| off the wall | alternative | lexicographic | |
| most off-the-wall | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more off-the-wall | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (15)
de abgedreht (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · cmn 疯狂的 (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · it fuori dalle righe (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · de bizarr (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · de daneben (greatly inappropriate) · ru чудной (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · cmn 荒诞的 (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · fr à côté de la plaque (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · pl od czapy (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · ru нелепый (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · nl buitenissig (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · de schrill (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · sv uppåt väggarna (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · de schräg (wildly unconventional; bizarre; absurd) · ru ни в какие ворота (greatly inappropriate)