Jump To:

• 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.

---

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

---

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]

---

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

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

Its creator, Dudley artist Dion Kitson, posted a photo on his Instagram account, showing that much of the artwork of Bellingham had been ripped off the wall.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 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

In between, rookie Ryan Ward hit a two-run double off the wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 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

I push myself off the wall anyway while saying, “Hey! That’s not fair. You went too early!”

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks