Add come out of left field to one of your lists below, or create a new one. Improve your vocabulary with English Vocabulary in Use from Cambridge. Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence. Extrovert or introvert? Describing character, part 4. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction.
Trending Words
Navigation menu
Also, out of left field. Eccentric, odd; also, mistaken. For example, The composer's use of dissonance in this symphony is way out in left field , or His answer was out of left field; he was totally wrong. This idiom refers to baseball's left field but the precise allusion is disputed.
Synonyms of the month
The phrase came from baseball terminology, referring to a play in which the ball is thrown from the area covered by the left fielder to either home plate or first base, surprising the runner. Variations include " out in left field " and simply " left field ". According to the Major League Baseball website the term means "crazy. There is another usage that comes also from baseball. During a time period, the shape of the outfield in Yankee Stadium roughly approximated an oval, with the "long" portion pointing to left-center. A left-fielder would thus typically be stationed further back from the action than the center or right fielders, as he would have a greater amount of ground to cover. Hence, "out in left field" meant one was furthest from the action taking place at home-plate, and the most likely to draw erroneous, fanciful conclusions about that action; thus, in a general sense, someone out in the left field would be someone who was not taking part in the action of whatever endeavor we were talking about.
US , informal : to be very surprising and unexpected That question came out of left field. Learn More about come out of left field Share come out of left field Post the Definition of come out of left field to Facebook Share the Definition of come out of left field on Twitter Dictionary Entries near come out of left field come out in favor of come out of come out of hiding come out of left field come out of nowhere come out of retirement come out on top. Accessed 6 Nov. Comments on come out of left field What made you want to look up come out of left field? Please tell us where you read or heard it including the quote, if possible. Test Your Vocabulary Where in the World? A Quiz What language does pajama come from? Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! We're intent on clearing it up 'Nip it in the butt' or 'Nip it in the bud'?
