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Kilter?

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Sevil | 15:09 Tue 22nd Oct 2002 | Phrases & Sayings
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I know what it means, how to use it in a sentence, but where does it come from? Was there ever such a thing as a kilter? I often say I am off-kilter. Can I ever say I am back on kilter? Thank you!
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The earliest-recorded use of the word in print - when it was spelt 'kelter' - was in the 1640s. At that time, it was used in dialects throughout England to mean "good condition". Hence, 'out of kelter/kilter' meant not quite right. The etymology is unknown.
Ah, so it's not something that suicidal, scottish sheep shrink from, then.

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