If You Protest You Must Be Mentally Ill.
News1 min ago
Off the Wall
1 Answers
The recent (late 20th Ct.) expression 'Off the wall' seems to mean variously; an impromptu and possibly ill considered response to a question, or a subject or verbal treatment that is not in accord with the majority view. I wonder, what is its origin, and what is the consensus on its meaning?
Answers
Only 1 answer
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by Hippy. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
"Off the wall" usually means unconventional, odd-ball or even bizarre; such a view might well be impromptu, ill-considered or in the minority - as you mention. It's generally considered to arise from the game of Squash, where the ball flies at the players with varying speeds or angles (especially off the side-wall). But by now the expression may also include a reference to grafitti in many users' minds - grafitti being sometime another source of original thinking.
Only 1 answer
