Off Base

Meaning of Idiom ‘Off Base’

To be off base means to be wrong; incorrect; badly mistaken; inexact; unrealistic. Also, to be unfair, as in criticism or an angry reaction. ¹,²,³,⁴

Examples Of Use

“You’re way off base here. I never tried to undermine you.”

“If you think idioms are a waste of time for English learners, you’re off base.”

“Maybe I’m off base but I think that these moves are illegal and will be blocked by the courts.”

“His statements about the vaccine were not simply off base, they were dangerous and irresponsible.”

“It’s not your father’s fault that you can’t keep a job. It’s off base for you to blame him for all your problems.”

Origin

Used since the first part of the 1900s, this idiom comes from baseball and alludes to a runner whose foot is not touching the base, meaning the runner may be put out. it was used by John Steinbeck in his novel In Dubious Battle from 1936:

If they can catch us off base, they’ll bounce us.” ⁵,⁶

More Idioms Starting with O

• Out of the Blue
• One Fell Swoop
• Your Own Worst Enemy
• On a Roll
• On the Same Page, to be

More Base Idioms

More Off Idioms

• Go Off Half-Cocked
• Run Away With (something)
• Rip Off
• Kiss Off
• Fly Off the Handle

 

References

1. Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
2. Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
3. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
4. Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
5. Ammer, Christine. The Dictionary of Cliches: a Word Lover’s Guide to 4,000 Overused Phrases and Almost-Pleasing Platitudes. Skyhorse Publishing, 2014.
6. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.