off-the-wall
[ awf-th uh-wawl, of- ]
/ ˈɔf ðəˈwɔl, ˈɒf- /
adjective Informal.
markedly unconventional; bizarre; oddball: an unpredictable, off-the-wall personality.
Words nearby off-the-wall
off-the-job, off-the-peg, off-the-rack, off-the-record, off-the-shelf, off-the-wall, off-topic, off-trail, off-white, off-year election, off.
Origin of off-the-wall
First recorded in 1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for off-the-wall
Zentai originated in the 1980s in Japan, land of synthetic fibers and off-the-wall trends, and has recently begun migrating west.
British Dictionary definitions for off-the-wall
off-the-wall
adjective
(off the wall when postpositive) slang new or unexpected in an unconventional or eccentric wayan off-the-wall approach to humour
Word Origin for off-the-wall
C20: possibly from the use of the phrase in handball and squash to describe a shot that is unexpected
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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