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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

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

She described Heller and Adams as "a dynamic pair, finding ways to punctuate their bizarre tale with brutal honesty, off-the-wall humour, and a desire to celebrate the messiness and magic of motherhood".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024

“David was definitely the strangest cat I’d ever seen, and I’d been around some off-the-wall characters, even at that point in my career.”

From Salon ● May 31, 2024

Behind many of the off-the-wall celebrations is the desire to make it memorable, Teambuilding.com’s Robinson said.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2023

As we went up the side steps to his house, I remember thinking that he asked me off-the-wall questions a lot.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

In between, rookie Ryan Ward hit a two-run double off the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

Whoever is given the job of informing him of that had better take a handful of sedatives and a crowbar to pry the president off the wall of the Oval Office.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026

He imagines—and 4- to 7-year-olds see him do it—plucking a length of sunshine off the wall and using what appear to be jellied cubes of colored light to make the beams of his own lighthouse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025

"We chose a terrifying looking skull and crossbones off the wall because we were marines and skulls and crossbones are pretty standard military thing," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025

The paintings slid off the wall, now full, three-dimensional spirits in the sky, and disappeared into the night.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older