left field

American  

noun

1. Baseball.

   1. the area of the outfield to the left of center field, as viewed from home plate.

   2. the position of the player covering this area.

2. Slang. a position or circumstance that is remote from an ordinary or general trend.

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idioms

1. out in left field, completely mistaken; wrong.

left-field British  

adjective

1. informal regarded as being outside the mainstream; unconventional

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left field More Idioms  

1. see out in left field.

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Etymology

Origin of left field

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

A few moments like an accidental death or the wild introduction of an aquatic character are so wonderfully out of left field they make one’s head spin.

From Los Angeles Times

And two innings later, Jonathan smacked a triple into left field that scored the tying run.

From Literature

We had great seats in the left field loge section.

From Los Angeles Times

Mosaku: Ryan explained the movie to me in and around the scene, and my mind was blown because it made complete sense, but it came completely out of left field for me.

From Los Angeles Times

But Chalamet's final pick of someone who demonstrated British greatness comes totally out of left field.

From BBC

Related Words

• disproportionate
• improper
• incorrect
• irrelevant
• tasteless
• unseemly
• unsuitable
• wrong