off the beam

Idioms  

1. Off course, on the wrong track, as in He's way off the beam with that argument. This colloquial term and its antonym, on the beam, meaning “on the right track,” allude to directing aircraft by means of radio beams. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

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Example Sentences

And yet Campbell still kicked off the beam run with a 9.850.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2025

But China’s Zhou Yaqin was the top qualifier for the balance beam final and Biles fell off the beam to miss out on a medal for the first time in Paris.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2024

So, like Super-K, Hyper-K will sit off the beam axis by an angle of 2.5°.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 28, 2022

A violinist who plays on a high beam, sometimes balancing on one leg, became disoriented after jumping off the beam and hit her head hard against it.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2022

You are above average in intelligence, but somehow your reasoning is off the beam.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote