off-the-wall

[ awf-thuh-wawl, of- ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. markedly unconventional; bizarre; oddball:

   an unpredictable, off-the-wall personality.

off-the-wall

adjective

1. slang.
   off the wall when postpositive new or unexpected in an unconventional or eccentric way

   an off-the-wall approach to humour

Word History and Origins

Origin of off-the-wall¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of off-the-wall¹

C20: possibly from the use of the phrase in handball and squash to describe a shot that is unexpected

Idioms and Phrases

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]

Example Sentences

Zentai originated in the 1980s in Japan, land of synthetic fibers and off-the-wall trends, and has recently begun migrating west.

From The Daily Beast