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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

She described Heller and Adams as "a dynamic pair, finding ways to punctuate their bizarre tale with brutal honesty, off-the-wall humour, and a desire to celebrate the messiness and magic of motherhood".

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024

“David was definitely the strangest cat I’d ever seen, and I’d been around some off-the-wall characters, even at that point in my career.”

From Salon ● May 31, 2024

To McCorkle, Sergeant Bloom had sounded a bit off-the-wall, a maverick theorist selling out the program.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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

Jack Champlin gave Garcia an insurance run in the sixth with a booming RBI triple off the wall in left field, only the Braves’ second hit of the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

Whoever is given the job of informing him of that had better take a handful of sedatives and a crowbar to pry the president off the wall of the Oval Office.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026

"She did some stuff off the wall," said Justin Leonard, a 28-year-old firefighter in Georgia's 14th congressional district, who voted for Greene twice.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

She ricocheted off the wall and collapsed like a ton of bricks.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah