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

See Examples For:

off the beam

Simone Biles fell off the beam to miss out on a medal for the first time at the Paris Olympics as Alice d'Amato took gold.

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

Finally, a worker was able to poke the cat off the beam, sending it harmlessly into the net.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2021

“That’s high enough,” Rick said; he removed the wired adhesive disk from his cheek and shut off the beam of light.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

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