| 释义 |
off the wall
wall W0017400 (wôl)n.1. An upright structure of masonry, wood, plaster, or other building material serving to enclose, divide, or protect an area, especially a vertical construction forming an inner partition or exterior siding of a building.2. often walls A continuous structure of masonry or other material forming a rampart and built for defensive purposes.3. A structure of stonework, concrete, or other material built to retain a flow of water.4. a. Something resembling a wall in appearance, function, or construction, as the exterior surface of a body organ or part: the abdominal wall.b. Something resembling a wall in impenetrability or strength: a wall of silence; a wall of fog.c. An extreme or desperate condition or position, such as defeat or ruin: driven to the wall by poverty.5. Sports The vertical surface of an ocean wave in surfing.tr.v. walled, wall·ing, walls 1. To enclose, surround, or fortify with or as if with a wall: wall up an old window. See Synonyms at enclose.2. To divide or separate with or as if with a wall. Often used with off: wall off half a room.3. To confine or seal behind a wall; immure: "I determined to wall [the body] up in the cellar" (Edgar Allan Poe).4. To block or close (an opening or passage, for example) with or as if with a wall.Idioms: off the wall Slang 1. Extremely unconventional.2. Without foundation; ridiculous: an accusation that is really off the wall. up the wall Slang Into a state of extreme frustration, anger, or distress: tensions that are driving me up the wall. writing/handwriting on the wall An ominous indication of the course of future events: saw the writing on the wall and fled the country.
[Middle English, from Old English weall, from Latin vallum, palisade, from vallus, stake. Idiom, in reference to an incident in the Bible (Daniel 5) in which a hand writes mysterious words on the wall of Belshazzar's banquet hall and the prophet Daniel interprets them as predicting the king's downfall.]
wall′less adj.off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle.See also related terms for unexpected.
off the wall
off the wallStrange, wacky, or unusual. Her hypothesis is really off the wall, but the facts seem to support it. The millionaire investor is a little off the wall, and you never know what he's going to say in the board meetings.See also: off, walloff-the-wallFig. odd; silly; unusual. Why are you so off-the-wall today? This book is strange. It's really off-the-wall.off the wallEccentric, 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] See also: off, walloff-the-wall INFORMALCOMMON If something or someone is off-the-wall, they are unusual and strange. A few of her ideas were off-the-wall. Note: Off-the-wall is used more often before a noun. He played Melanie Griffith's off-the-wall boyfriend in the film `Something Wild'. Their endearing brand of innocent, off-the-wall humour is as fresh and funny today as it was back in the '50s. Note: You can use this expression both when you like this kind of person or thing, and when you do not like them. Note: This may be a reference to a shot in a game such as squash or handball, where the ball bounces off the wall at an unexpected angle. off the wall 1 eccentric or unconventional. 2 (of a person) crazy or angry. 3 (of an accusation) without basis or foundation. North American informalSee also: off, walloff the ˈwall (informal) unusual and amusing; slightly crazy: Some of his ideas are really off the wall. ♢ They’ve both got a rather off-the-wall sense of humour.See also: off, walloff-the-wall mod. strange; improbable; nonsensical. Your ideas are generally off-the-wall, but this one makes sense. off the wall Slang 1. Extremely unconventional.2. Without foundation; ridiculous: an accusation that is really off the wall.See also: off, walloff the wallExtremely unconventional, unorthodox, eccentric. This expression, which dates from about 1960, probably alludes to the erratic path of a ball bounced against a wall in a sport like squash or racquetball, as in “Answering multiple-choice questions by writing in new and different choices, that’s off the wall.” See also: off, wallEncyclopediaSeewallLegalSeeWallAcronymsSeeOTW |