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odd man out

or odd-man-out

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noun
a method of selecting or eliminating a person from a group, as by matching coins, especially in preparation for playing a game.
the person so selected or eliminated.
a game consisting of this method.
outsider (def. 2).
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Origin of odd man out

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby odd man out

odd-job, odd-jobman, odd lot, odd-lotter, odd-man, odd man out, odd-man rush, oddment, odd or even, odd permutation, odd-pinnate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to odd man out

bohemian, dissenter, dropout, eccentric, freak, oddball, outsider, weirdo, beatnik, dissident, individualist, loser, offbeat, hermit, independent, lone hand, loner, nonconformist, pariah, rogue elephant

How to use odd man out in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with odd man out

odd man out
1

A person who is left out of a group for some reason, as in The invitation was for couples only, so Jane was odd man out. [Mid-1800s]

2

Something or someone who differs markedly from the others in a group, as in Among all those ranch-style houses, their Victorian was odd man out. [Late 1800s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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