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.
Example sentences from the Web for off-the-wall
Zentai originated in the 1980s in Japan, land of synthetic fibers and off-the-wall trends, and has recently begun migrating west.
British Dictionary definitions for off-the-wall
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