miss the point

miss the point

To misunderstand the essence or crux of something. That's not what I meant at all—you missed the point of everything I just said.
See also: miss, point
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

miss the point

to fail to understand the important part of something. I'm afraid you missed the point. Let me explain it again. You keep explaining, and I keep missing the point.
See also: miss, point
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

miss the point

Overlook or fail to understand the essential or important part of something, as in Chris missed the point of Gwen's complaint, thinking she was opposed to the date of the next meeting . This expression employs point in the sense of "the salient portion," a usage dating from the late 1300s.
See also: miss, point
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • come to the point
  • come to the point and get to the point
  • come/get to the point
  • get to the point
  • get to the point, to
  • all over but the shouting, it's
  • it's all over but the shouting
  • all over but the shouting
  • all over bar the shouting
  • it's all over bar the shouting
References in periodicals archive
The post (http://www.palestinechronicle.com/erekats-tweets-about-boltons-visit-to-jerusalem-totally-miss-the-point/) Erekat's Tweets about Bolton's Visit to Jerusalem Totally Miss the Point appeared first on (http://www.palestinechronicle.com) Palestine Chronicle.
I shop in my local village, using the bakery, newsagents, small Co-op etc and, yes, Morrisons, However, this is where you miss the point of my argument.
He downplayed the Pope's recent reflections in order to promote that type of modern music he finds conducive to a "lively Sunday Mass." This is to miss the point of the Mass with its sacrificial nature.
So, "Crissy," sometimes we do miss the point, don't we ["The Myth of 'Straight-acting,'" October 10]?
As a film critic and media literacy educator, I am bothered when audiences miss the point of a movie because of a bad word.
Your article, Why Are We Paying So Much For Our Power (Daily Mirror September 19), seems to miss the point.
To blame the teachers is to miss the point. Perhaps before we attempt to educate the children we should try to educate their parents.
However unfortunate, this is the natural evolution of the beast, and those who complain that it is now no more than a showcase for the next Hollywood blockbuster miss the point. While Serge Losique's Montreal World Film Festival, which started-up at the same time as TIFF, has atrophied and is no longer relevant, TIFF continues to grow and evolve and respond to the changes in the marketplace.
To distinguish between the three is to miss the point: inter-connection, of course.
So those who criticize the eccentricity of some of its details clearly miss the point. After all, with over ten years as a key associate of Michael Hopkins and Partners, Bill Dunster graduated from one of the best schools of architectural refinement.
This, however, is to miss the point. Real estate is competing for capital and the risks and rewards of investing in commercial properties should be compared to the returns on stocks, bonds and cash.
Meeting the challenges of the 21st century by continuing to deploy only the solutions of the 20th century--improved use of technology--is to miss the point. In this age of Internet sales, instant communications and proliferation of products, the future belongs to companies that use technology as a tool, not a solution.
If he gets the England manager's job are the FA running the risk that Harry may miss the point and try to sign Gareth Bale, Luca Modric and others for his new team?
--BONO, on how right-wing Christians miss the point of the U2 song "One," as quoted in the November 3 issue of Roiling Stone
While they are busy bleating about whom they can blame for the closure of the facility, they seem to miss the point that if they had spent as much time going to the zoo as they have moaning about the imminent closure, then it would be the most successful zoo in the world.