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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

But Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso were judged to have the stand-out moment of the evening, with a colourful, off-the-wall medley of their hits El Impostor, #Tetas, La Que Puede, Puede and El Día Del Amigo.

From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2025

“Maine Justice”: Most creative, off-the-wall skit of all time, perfectly performed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024

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

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

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Alek Thomas led off with a double to left that ricocheted off the wall on a hop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

People living next to a quarry say their homes shake, pictures fall off the wall and their children are frightened each time huge rocks are blasted.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Some of the alternate realities we’ve seen before, though not necessarily so well treated, and some are ones no one has thought of before, so off the wall are they.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Arranged in a series of eight sections, the work has space between each panel, which gives a lightness to the otherwise dense construction, making it seem to hover ever so slightly off the wall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

Barry hardly looked at the book before hurling it to the corner, where it rebounded off the wall and slid behind a trash can.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman