off-the-wall
[ awf-th uh-wawl, of- ]
/ ˈɔf ðəˈwɔl, ˈɒf- /
adjective Informal.
markedly unconventional; bizarre; oddball: an unpredictable, off-the-wall personality.
Origin of off-the-wall
First recorded in 1970–75
Words nearby off-the-wall
off-the-job,
off-the-peg,
off-the-rack,
off-the-record,
off-the-shelf,
off-the-wall,
off-topic,
off-trail,
off-white,
off-year election,
off.
Definition for off the wall (2 of 2)
wall
[ wawl ]
/ wɔl /
noun
adjective
verb (used with object)
Origin of wall
before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English
w(e)all < Latin
vallum palisade, derivative of
vallus stake, post; see
wale1; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun
SYNONYMS FOR wall
OTHER WORDS FROM wall
wall-less, adjective wall-like, adjective un·wall, verb (used with object)British Dictionary definitions for off the wall (1 of 2)
wall
/ (wɔːl) /
noun
verb (tr)
Derived forms of wall
walled, adjective wall-less, adjective wall-like, adjectiveWord Origin for wall
Old English
weall, from Latin
vallum palisade, from
vallus stake
British Dictionary definitions for off the wall (2 of 2)
off-the-wall
adjective
(off the wall when postpositive) slang
new or unexpected in an unconventional or eccentric way
an off-the-wall approach to humour
Word Origin for off-the-wall
C20: possibly from the use of the phrase in handball and squash to describe a shot that is unexpected
Medical definitions for off the wall
wall
[ wôl ]
n.
An investing part enclosing a cavity, chamber, or other anatomical unit.
Idioms and Phrases with off the wall (1 of 2)
off the wall
Eccentric, unconventional, as in That idea of opening a 100-seat theater is off the wall. This expression probably originated in baseball or some other sport in which the ball can bounce off a wall in an erratic way. [Colloquial; 1960s]
Idioms and Phrases with off the wall (2 of 2)
wall