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• off-the-wall
  off-the-wall

  adjective

  markedly unconventional; bizarre; oddball.
• off the wall
  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]

off-the-wall

American  

[awf-thuh-wawl, of-] / ˈɔf ðəˈwɔl, ˈɒf- /

adjective

Informal.

1. markedly unconventional; bizarre; oddball.

   an unpredictable, off-the-wall personality.

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off-the-wall British  

adjective

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

   an off-the-wall approach to humour

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off the wall Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of off-the-wall

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off-the-wall off the wall

"But watching the film and the documentary, the themes are so much about family, community and belonging. They are kind of off-the-wall characters, but there's so much love."

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

It’s no wonder the new season of “Jury Duty,” a comedy series that tricks an unsuspecting non-actor into believing his off-the-wall fictional circumstances are actually happening, is set at a corporate off-site.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026

“Maine Justice”: Most creative, off-the-wall skit of all time, perfectly performed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024

Oatly, meanwhile, has continued to highlight the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, but in surprising, off-the-wall ways.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2024

Sometimes they seem so off-the-wall, but they always make me think.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Its creator, Dudley artist Dion Kitson, posted a photo on his Instagram account, showing that much of the artwork of Bellingham had been ripped off the wall.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Some of the alternate realities we’ve seen before, though not necessarily so well treated, and some are ones no one has thought of before, so off the wall are they.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

And his two walks with less than two out in the seventh came back to haunt him, as both baserunners scored on Arenado’s double off the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Zion’s logo was scratched off the wall, its guitars were seized and the site was sealed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

The janitor took pity on me and cleaned off the wall above my locker, even though I can still see the flecks of red crayon embedded in the crannies of the painted cinder blocks.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King