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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

Pokopia currently has an overall rating of 88 out of 100 on review aggregator site Metacritic, making it the best-reviewed title of 2026 so far, alongside horror game Resident Evil and off-the-wall indie game Mewgenics.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

Oatly, meanwhile, has continued to highlight the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, but in surprising, off-the-wall ways.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 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

Sometimes they seem so off-the-wall, but they always make me think.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

And his two walks with less than two out in the seventh came back to haunt him, as both baserunners scored on Arenado’s double off the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Zion’s logo was scratched off the wall, its guitars were seized and the site was sealed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

“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 Salon ● Oct. 21, 2025

Then, Smith came through again in the ninth, lacing a go-ahead, two-out RBI double off the wall in left that scored pinch-runner James Outman all the way from first base.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025

Without waiting for approval, Diana grabbed a poster off the wall, found a black marker in the teacher’s desk, and handed it to Cas.

From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau