off-the-wall

off the wall

Strange, 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, wall
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

off-the-wall

Fig. odd; silly; unusual. Why are you so off-the-wall today? This book is strange. It's really off-the-wall.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

off-the-wall

INFORMAL
COMMON 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.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

off-the-wall

mod. strange; improbable; nonsensical. Your ideas are generally off-the-wall, but this one makes sense.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • be off the wall
  • bounce off
  • bounce off (of) (someone or something)
  • bounce something off of someone
  • bounce something off someone
  • (I've) got to take off
  • be off for (something)
  • be off for sth
  • (Now) where was I?
  • be well off for something
References in periodicals archive
A gold-standard zealot, no one matches him for off-the-wall monetary questions.
Greenspan on the griddle: Congress grills the Fed chairman and produces more heat than light. Who are these folks on Capitol Hill?
Here are a few ideas, among many, that Off-the-Wall Marketing suggests:
Whatever it takes
Connections for 18-35s (020 8742 8612) offers a wide range of off-the-wall Aussie adventures.
Holiday: AUSSIES ON THE BALL
The cumulative point: Famous contemporary artists are unpretentious people of tangible inspiration who just happen to have the wherewithal to make gloriously manifest their slightly off-the-wall ideas.
FOLK'S ART
Canada is where Thompson was born and got his start with the Kids in the Hall, who delivered sketch comedy that was as off-the-wall and uncompromising as Monty Python and SCTV; it also catapulted Thompson and fellow members such as Dave Foley (of the NBC sitcom NewsRadio) to stardom.
WELCOME TO SCOTTLAND
"He's like Rob Dibble, the Cincinnati Reds' middle reliever," said one student with a penchant for off-the-wall remarks.
An underground tradition
Area residents can still participate in the show by buying pieces in the For Kids' Sake Off-the-Wall Show at Longbranch now through May 21.
Record-breaking success at Kids' Sake Art Auction
Funnymen Hector O hEochagain and Risteard Cooper are back again with their off-the-wall online commentary on the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.
PRIDE OF LIONS
We're just finishing up our annual calendar round-up and with a bang, for the 'encore exhibit' of Far Side classics is released here, featuring the same cartoons as the FAR SIDE GALLERY 2001 OFF-THE-WALL CALENDAR.
The Far Side Gallery: 2007 Off-the-Wall Calendar