off beam

off beam

Mistaken, inaccurate, or incorrect; going against or straying away from the correct line of thinking. Hyphenated if used before a noun. I'm saddened that he would choose to make remarks about our troops that are so off beam. The CEO's off-beam plans ended up costing the company nearly half a billion dollars in lost revenue.
See also: beam, off
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

off (or way off) beam

on the wrong track; mistaken. informal
Originally, this phrase referred to the radio beam or signal used to guide aircraft.
1997 Anthony Barnett This Time I sample the press coverage to illustrate how large sections of the Fourth Estate were way off beam in their conviction that voters want the country steered back towards ‘Great Englishness’.
See also: beam, off
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

off ˈbeam

(informal) wrong; incorrect: No, you’re way off beam there.A radio wave, or beam, can be used to guide aircraft. If the aircraft is off beam it is not following the correct course as set by the beam.
See also: beam, off
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a round robin
  • round robin
  • eleventh hour
  • heads I win, tails you lose
  • black market
  • a light touch
  • wiggy
  • first hand
  • rust bucket
  • naughty but nice
References in periodicals archive
Both sides had early chances, Villa's Eric Lichaj being well off beam with a first minute header when it looked easier to score from Barry Bannan's free-kick and Andreas Weimann's cross-shot forcing Pompey goalkeeper Liam O'Brien to tip over.
Of course, my interpretation of what is not an exact science may be off beam.
Any suggestion that he put himself first ahead of the team last week in Nagpur is completely off beam and can only come from someone who does not know him or understand him," he added.
It will very much depend on your individual circumstances as to whether the estimate of pounds 183,000 from birth to the age of 21 is correct or way off beam.
I know he loves to play devil's advocate and says things for the sake of stirring controversy, but even by his own standards Mike 'Stevo' Stephenson was way off beam after Wakefield Trinity Wildcats' nerve-jangling triumph over Castleford Tigers.
A recent survey has revealed that many UK drivers are way off beam when it comes to understanding the warning lights on their car dashboard.
Dear Editor, - Your correspondent who suggests that the Hemel Hempsted explosion is getting undue media coverage because it is sited in south east England (Post, Dec 12), is way off beam.
In any event I always thought that licensed zones were off beam because they provide no direction as to where the business is to be done.
Pre-meeting predictions of a one-sided romp for the Tigers proved way off beam, with Des Quinney's bold battlers giving almost as good as they got to stay within six points of the visitors in the first nine races.
There was enough time for Goode to win the match but he was just off beam and it was Quins - champions two years ago - who nicked the points to get their season off and running.
The sound in the first half of his set is awful - at times it's akin to a stand-up show in an echo chamber and his gag strike rate is off beam as a result.
Comments off beam Wolves MD Dave Roberts says: "Eastern European and Asian families - racing is not their sport." I refer Mr Roberts to the story about Overdose on page 4 ...
Sharp sent a half-volley inches wide, Beattie was off beam with two headers, and then Sharp tried his luck with a bicycle kick before Kilgallon scored the goal that never was.
But he, and many others, were way off beam when they described the alleged plot to kidnap a British Muslim soldier and "execute" him.