off the wall - definition of off the wall by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

wall (wôl)

1. An upright structure of masonry, wood, plaster, or other building material serving to enclose, divide, or protect an area, especially a vertical construction forming an inner partition or exterior siding of a building.

2. A continuous structure of masonry or other material forming a rampart and built for defensive purposes. Often used in the plural.

3. A structure of stonework, cement, or other material built to retain a flow of water.

a. Something resembling a wall in appearance, function, or construction, as the exterior surface of a body organ or part: the abdominal wall.

b. Something resembling a wall in impenetrability or strength: a wall of silence; a wall of fog.

c. An extreme or desperate condition or position, such as defeat or ruin: driven to the wall by poverty.

5. Sports The vertical surface of an ocean wave in surfing.

tr.v. walled, wall·ing, walls

1. To enclose, surround, or fortify with or as if with a wall: wall up an old window. See Synonyms at enclose.

2. To divide or separate with or as if with a wall. Often used with off: wall off half a room.

3. To confine or seal behind a wall; immure: "I determined to wall [the body] up in the cellar" (Edgar Allan Poe).

4. To block or close (an opening or passage, for example) with or as if with a wall.

Idioms:

off the wall Slang

1. Extremely unconventional.

2. Without foundation; ridiculous: an accusation that is really off the wall.

up the wall Slang

Into a state of extreme frustration, anger, or distress: tensions that are driving me up the wall.

writing/handwriting on the wall

An ominous indication of the course of future events: saw the writing on the wall and fled the country.

[Middle English, from Old English weall, from Latin vallum, palisade, from vallus, stake.]

wallless adj.

wall [wɔːl]

1. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building)

a. a vertical construction made of stone, brick, wood, etc., with a length and height much greater than its thickness, used to enclose, divide, or support

b. (as modifier) wall hangings Related adj mural

2. (Military / Fortifications) (often plural) a structure or rampart built to protect and surround a position or place for defensive purposes

3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Anatomy any lining, membrane, or investing part that encloses or bounds a bodily cavity or structure abdominal wall Technical name paries Related adj parietal

4. (Individual Sports & Recreations / Mountaineering) Mountaineering a vertical or almost vertical smooth rock face

5. anything that suggests a wall in function or effect a wall of fire a wall of prejudice

bang one's head against a brick wall to try to achieve something impossible

drive (or push) to the wall to force into an awkward situation

(Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance)

go to the wall to be ruined; collapse financially

go (or drive) up the wall Slang to become (or cause to become) crazy or furious

have one's back to the wall to be in a very difficult situation

11. See off-the-wall

12. See wall-to-wall

vb (tr)

1. to protect, provide, or confine with or as if with a wall

2. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) (often foll by up) to block (an opening) with a wall

3. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) (often foll by in or up) to seal by or within a wall or walls

[Old English weall, from Latin vallum palisade, from vallus stake]

walled adj

wall-less adj

wall-like adj

Wall something that represents a wall in appearance.

Examples: black wall of forest, 1859; wall of fog, 1903; of rock, 1860; of snow, 1697; of soldiers, 1797; of water, 1859.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	wall - an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure; "the south wall had a small window"; "the walls were covered with pictures" archway, arch - a passageway under a curved masonry construction; "they built a triumphal arch to memorialize their victory" attic - (architecture) a low wall at the top of the entablature; hides the roof bearing wall - any wall supporting a floor or the roof of a building building, edifice - a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place; "there was a three-story building on the corner"; "it was an imposing edifice" coping stone, capstone, copestone, stretcher - a stone that forms the top of wall or building cavity wall - a wall formed of two thicknesses of masonry with a space between them chimney breast - walls that project out from the wall of a room and surround the chimney base row, course - (construction) a layer of masonry; "a course of bricks" doorway, room access, door, threshold - the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close; "he stuck his head in the doorway" firewall - a fireproof (or fire-resistant) wall designed to prevent the spread of fire through a building or a vehicle gable, gable end, gable wall - the vertical triangular wall between the sloping ends of gable roof hall, hallway - an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open; "the elevators were at the end of the hall" cope, coping, header - brick that is laid sideways at the top of a wall paneling, panelling, pane - a panel or section of panels in a wall or door parapet - a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony partition, divider - a vertical structure that divides or separates (as a wall divides one room from another) pier - (architecture) a vertical supporting structure (as a portion of wall between two doors or windows) proscenium wall, proscenium - the wall that separates the stage from the auditorium in a modern theater room - an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling; "the rooms were very small but they had a nice view" sidewall - a wall that forms the side of a structure dado, wainscot - panel forming the lower part of an interior wall when it is finished differently from the rest of the wall wainscoting, wainscotting - a wainscoted wall (or wainscoted walls collectively) wall panel - paneling that forms part of a wall
	2.	wall - anything that suggests a wall in structure or function or effect; "a wall of water"; "a wall of smoke"; "a wall of prejudice"; "negotiations ran into a brick wall" object, physical object - a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow; "it was full of rackets, balls and other objects" footwall - the lower wall of an inclined fault hanging wall - the upper wall of an inclined fault
	3.	wall - (anatomy) a layer (a lining or membrane) that encloses a structure; "stomach walls" paries abdominal wall - a wall of the abdomen anatomy, general anatomy - the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals stratum - one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)
	4.	wall - a difficult or awkward situation; "his back was to the wall"; "competition was pushing them to the wall" difficulty - a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome; "grappling with financial difficulties"
	5.	wall - a vertical (or almost vertical) smooth rock face (as of a cave or mountain) cave - a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea geological formation, formation - (geology) the geological features of the earth
	6.	wall - a layer of material that encloses space; "the walls of the cylinder were perforated"; "the container's walls were blue" layer, bed - single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance; "slices of hard-boiled egg on a bed of spinach"
	7.	wall - a masonry fence (as around an estate or garden); "the wall followed the road"; "he ducked behind the garden wall and waited" fence, fencing - a barrier that serves to enclose an area party wall - a wall erected on the line between two properties and shared by both owners retaining wall - a wall that is built to resist lateral pressure (especially a wall built to prevent the advance of a mass of earth)
	8.	wall - an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes; "they stormed the ramparts of the city"; "they blew the trumpet and the walls came tumbling down" bulwark, rampart bailey - the outer defensive wall that surrounds the outer courtyard of a castle battlement, crenelation, crenellation - a rampart built around the top of a castle with regular gaps for firing arrows or guns earthwork - an earthen rampart embankment - a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection fortification, munition - defensive structure consisting of walls or mounds built around a stronghold to strengthen it fraise - sloping or horizontal rampart of pointed stakes merlon - a solid section between two crenels in a crenelated battlement
Verb	1.	wall - surround with a wall in order to fortify palisade, fence in, fence, surround protect - shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage; "Weatherbeater protects your roof from the rain" stockade - surround with a stockade in order to fortify circumvallate - surround with or as if with a rampart or other fortification wall in, wall up - enclose with a wall

wall

noun

1. partition, divider, room divider, screen, panel, barrier, enclosure We're going to knock down the dividing wall to give us one big room.

2. barricade, rampart, fortification, bulwark, blockade, embankment, parapet, palisade, stockade, breastwork The Romans breached the city walls and captured the city.

3. barrier, obstacle, barricade, obstruction, check, bar, block, fence, impediment, hindrance I appealed for help but met the usual wall of silence.

drive someone up the wall (Informal) infuriate, madden, exasperate, get on your nerves (informal), anger, provoke, annoy, irritate, aggravate (informal), incense, enrage, gall, rile, drive you crazy (informal), nark (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang), be like a red rag to a bull, make your blood boil, get your goat (slang), drive you insane, make your hackles rise, raise your hackles, piss your off (taboo slang), send off your head (slang), get your back up, make you see red (informal), put your back up That tuneless humming of his drives me up the wall.

go to the wall (Informal) fail, close down, go under, go out of business, fall, crash, collapse, fold (informal), be ruined, go bust (informal), go bankrupt, go broke (informal), go into receivership, become insolvent Even big companies are going to the wall these days.

off the wall comical, eccentric, wacky (slang), oddball (informal), funny, out there (slang), crazy, loony (slang), nutty (slang), zany, madcap, goofy (informal), kooky (U.S. informal), clownish, wacko or whacko (informal) his particular brand of off-the-wall humour

wall someone up enclose, confine, detain, imprison, lock up, constrain, put away, incarcerate, jail He was walled up in a tiny cell and left to die.

wall something or someone in enclose, surround, bound, fence, hedge, encompass, encircle, encase, impound, pen in, circumscribe, hem in, shut in The garden is walled in to create a feeling of privacy.

wall something up close, block off or up, secure, seal, shut up They had walled up the room for fear of infection.

Related words
adjective mural

Translations

wall [wɔːl]

A. N

1. (interior, Anat) → pared f; (outside) → muro m; [of city] → muralla f; (= garden wall) → tapia f
the Great Wall of China → la Gran Muralla China
the north wall of the Eiger → la pared norte del Eiger
to come up against a brick wall → tener por delante una barrera infranqueable
talking to him is like talking to a brick wall → hablar con él es como hablar a la pared
to do sth off the wall (esp US) → hacer algo espontáneamente or de improviso
to climb or crawl up the walls (from boredom, frustration) → subirse por las paredes
it drives me up the wall → me saca de quicio
to go up the wall (= get angry) → ponerse furioso
to go to the wall [firm] → ir a la bancarrota, quebrar
walls have ears → las paredes oyen

2. (Sport) [of players] → barrera f

3. (fig) → barrera f
to break the wall of silence → romper el muro or la barrera del silencio

B. CPD [cupboard, light, clock] → de pared; [map, painting] → mural
wall bars NPL (Sport) → espalderas fpl
wall hanging N → tapiz m
wall socket N → enchufe m de pared

wall in VT + ADV [+ area of land] → cerrar con muro; [+ garden] → tapiar, cercar con tapia

wall off VT + ADV → separar con un muro

wall up VT + ADV [+ person] → emparedar; [+ opening, entrance] → tapiar, cerrar con muro, tabicar; [+ window] → condenar

wall [ˈwɔːl] n

[building] → mur m
There was a picture on the wall → Il y avait une photo sur le mur.
the bedroom walls → les murs de la chambre

(free-standing) → mur m
He climbed over the garden wall → Il escalada le mur du jardin.

[tunnel, cave] → paroi f

[stomach, chest, organ] → paroi f

to go to the wall (= go bust) [business] → être en pleine faillite

to bang one's head against a wall → se taper la tête contre les murs

to have one's back to the wall → être le dos au mur

to be climbing the walls → être dans tous ses états

to drive sb up the wall → mettre qn en boule >

wall in

vt sep

[+ garden] → enclore

[+ person] → emmurer

wall

(outside) → Mauer f; (inside, of mountain) → Wand f; the Great Wall of China → die Chinesische Mauer; the north wall of the Eiger → die Eigernordwand; a wall of fire → eine Feuerwand; a wall of policemen/troops → eine Mauer von Polizisten/Soldaten; walls have ears → die Wände haben Ohren; to come up against a wall of silence → auf eine Mauer des Schweigens stoßen; to go up the wall (inf) → die Wände rauf- or hochgehen (inf); I’m climbing the walls (inf) → ich könnte die Wände hochgehen (inf); he/his questions drive me up the wall (inf) → er/seine Fragerei bringt mich auf die Palme (inf); this constant noise is driving me up the wall (inf) → bei diesem ständigen Lärm könnte ich die Wände rauf- or hochgehen (inf); to go to the wall (inf: firm etc) → kaputtgehen (inf) ? brick wall, back

(Anat) → Wand f; abdominal wall → Bauchdecke f

vt → mit einer Mauer umgeben

wall:

wall anchor

n (US) → Dübel m

wall bars

pl → Sprossenwand f

wallboard

n (US) → Sperrholz nt

wall cabinet

n → Wandschrank m

wall chart

n → Plantafel f

wall clock

n → Wanduhr f

wall covering

n → Wandbekleidung f

wall cupboard

n → Wandschrank m

wall:

wallflower

n (Bot) → Goldlack m; (fig inf) → Mauerblümchen nt (inf)

wall hanging

n → Wandbehang m, → Wandteppich m

wall lamp

n → Wandleuchte f

wall map

n → Wandkarte f

wall of death

n → Todeswand f

wall:

wall painting

n → Wandmalerei f

wallpaper

n → Tapete f; (Comput) → Hintergrundbild nt

vt → tapezieren

wall pass

n (Ftbl) → Doppelpass m

wall safe

n → Wandsafe m

wall socket

n → Steckdose f

Wall Street

n → Wall Street f

wall-to-wall

adj wall carpeting → Teppichboden m; his apartment is just about wall stereo equipment → seine Wohnung ist fast eine einzige Stereoanlage; what a bar! wall punks → was für eine Bar! randvoll mit Punks; the event got wall coverage (in the media) → über das Ereignis wurde (in den Medien) umfassend berichtet

wall [wɔːl]

1. n (internal, of tunnel, cave) → muro, parete f; (outside) → muro (Anat) → parete; (of tyre) → fianco (fig) (of smoke) → cortina
the Berlin Wall → il muro di Berlino
the Great Wall of China → la Grande Muraglia Cinese
the city walls → le mura della città
it drives me up the wall (fam) → mi fa uscire dai gangheri
to go to the wall (fig) (firm) → andare a rotoli or in rovina
walls have ears (fam) → anche i muri hanno orecchi

2. adj (clock) → a muro

wall in vt + adv (garden) → circondare con un muro

wall off vt + adv (area of land) → recingere con un muro

wall up vt + adv (entrance) → murare

wall [wɔːl]

2. adj (clock) → a muro

wall in vt + adv (garden) → circondare con un muro

wall off vt + adv (area of land) → recingere con un muro

wall up vt + adv (entrance) → murare

wall

n wall [woːl]

1 something built of stone, brick, plaster, wood etc and used to separate off or enclose something There's a wall at the bottom of the garden: The Great Wall of China; a garden wall. muur جِدار، سور стена zeď mur; -mur die Mauer τοίχος, τείχος muro, tapia, muralla; pared müür تيغه seinä mur(aille) קִיר दीवार zid fal tembok veggur, (varnar)múr muro 塀 성벽 siena, tvora siena; mūris tembok, benteng muur mur, vegg, voll mur muro zid стена múr zid zid mur กำแพง; ผนัง; ฉาก; เครื่องกั้น duvar 牆 стіна دیوار bức tường 墙

2 any of the sides of a building or room One wall of the room is yellow – the rest are white. muur حائِط зид stěna væg die Wand τοίχος pared sein ديوار seinä mur קִיר zid fal dinding veggur muro, parete 壁 벽 siena siena dinding muur vegg ściana parede perete стена stena stena zid vägg กำแพง; ผนัง; ฉาก; เครื่องกั้น duvar 牆壁 стіна دیوار tường nhà 墙壁

(often within) to enclose (something) with a wall We've walled in the playground to prevent the children getting out. ommuur يُحيط بِجِدار заграждам obezdít omgive med en mur ummauern περιτοιχίζω, περιτειχίζω / (εν)τοιχίζω amurallar müüriga ümbritsema ديوار كشيدن ympäröidä seinillä entourer d'un mur לְהַקִיף בְּחוֹמָה दीवार से घेरना zatvoriti zidom fallal körülvesz menembok girða af (með vegg) murare, (circondare con un muro) 塀で囲む 벽으로 둘러싸다 aptverti uzcelt/uzmūrēt sienu menyekat dengan tembok ommuren lage mur rundt, gjerde inn otoczyć murem murar a înconjura cu ziduri огораживать ohradiť / obohnať múrom ograditi z zidom ograditi zidom omge med mur ล้อมรั้ว; กั้นผนัง etrafını duvarla çevirmek 用牆圍住 обгороджувати стіною دیوار کھینچنا xây tường bao quanh 用墙围住

adj walled

a walled city. ommuur مُحاط بِسور зидан obehnaný hradbami omgivet af en mur ummauert περιτειχισμένος amurallado, fortificado; tapiado müüriga ümbritsetud محصور muurien ympäröimä fortifié, entouré d'un mur מוּקַף חוֹמָה पुराना शहर opasan zidom fallal körülvett bertembok víggirtur, sem er með varnarmúr murato 城壁のある 성벽으로 둘러싸인 apjuostas siena, aptvertas apjozt ar sienu/mūri bertembok ommuurd befestet otoczony murem murado fortificat, înconjurat cu ziduri обнесённый стеной obohnaný hradbami, alebo múrom, oplotený obdan z obzidjem opasan zidinama omgärdad av en mur ที่ล้อมรั้ว; ที่มีกำแพงล้อม etrafı duvarla çevrili 有城牆的 обнесений стіною فصیل بند có tường bao quanh 有城墙的

-walled

having (a certain type or number of) wall(s) a high-walled garden. ommuurde مُحاط بِسور -стенен s ... zdmi -muret ...-ummauert που έχει συγκεκριμένο τύπο τοίχων de paredes/muros... -müüriline ديوار شده -seinäinen à (...) mur(s) מְגוּדַר दीवार से घिरा omeđen zidovima (-)falú bertembok með tiltekinni gerð af vegg dalle mura (...) －壁の 벽이 있는 aptvertas, -sienis ar (kādu) sienu/mūri apjozts banyak bertembok met... muren med (...) mur/vegg o... murze, o... ścianach com muros (altos, etc.) cu ziduri с такими-то стенами s ... múrom ki ima (...) zid zidova med ... murar (väggar) ที่มีผนังกั้น ... duvarlı 有(特定種類或數量)牆的 такий, що має стіни چار دیواری رکھنے والا có tường ...墙的

n wallpaper

paper used to decorate interior walls of houses etc My wife wants to put wallpaper on the walls but I would rather paint them. muurpapier وَرَق جُدْران тапет tapety tapet die Tapete ταπετσαρία τοίχου papel pintado tapeet كاغذ ديواري tapetti papier peint טַפֵּט अंदरूनी दीवार की सजावट का कागज tapete tapéta kertas dinding veggfóður carta da parati 壁紙 벽지 sienų apmušalai, tapetai tapetes kertas hias dinding behang tapet tapeta papel de parede tapet обои tapeta tapeta tapete tapet กระดาษบุผนังหรือเพดาน duvar kâğıdı 壁紙 шпалери آراءشی کاغذ giấy dán tường 壁纸

to put such paper on I have wallpapered the front room. muurpapier opsit/aansit/plak يَكْسو بِوَرَق الجُدْران слагам тапети (vy)tapetovat tapetsere tapezieren καλύπτω με χαρτί ταπετσαρίας empapelar tapeetima كاغذ ديواري كردن tapetoida tapisser לְצַפּות קיר בְּטַפֵּטִים अंदरूनी दीवार की सजावट के लिए कागज लगाना oblijepiti tapetama tapétáz memasang kertas dinding veggfóðra (mettere la carta da parati) 壁紙をはる 벽지를 바르다 (iš)klijuoti apmušalais, (iš)tapetuoti izlīmēt tapetes menampal kertas dinding behangen tapetsere tapetować pôr papel de parede a tapeta оклеивать обоями (vy)tapetovať obložiti s tapetami staviti tapete tapetsera ปิดผนังด้วยกระดาษบุผนัง duvar kâğıdıyla kaplamak 貼壁紙 обклеювати шпалерами کمراے کی دیواروں پر کاغذ لگانا dán tường bằng giấy 糊壁纸

adj wall-to-ˈwall

(of a carpet etc) covering the entire floor of a room etc. volvloeragtig من الحائِط إلى الحائِط от край до край celopodlahový, ode zdi ke zdi væg-til-væg- von Wand zu Wand από τοίχο σε τοίχο de pared a pared; (alfombra) moqueta ülepõranda-, vaipkate سرتاسر دیوار یا زمین kokolattia- moquette מְקִיר לְקִיר समूचा कमरा od zida do zida faltól falig (szőnyeg) meliputi seluruh lantai horn í horn (da parete a parete) 敷きつめの 마루에 빽빽히 찬 per visą kambarį no sienas līdz sienai; pa visu telpu dari dinding ke dinding kamerbreed vegg-til-vegg na całą podłogę de parede a parede QUERY care acoperă toată podeaua/duşumeaua на весь пол od steny po stenu, celopodlahový od stene do stene od zida do zida heltäcknings- ซึ่งปกคลุมพื้นทั้งหมด duvardan duvara 在房間的整個地板鋪上(地毯等) такий, що закриває всю підлогу تمام فرش کو ڈھانپنے والا phủ kín sàn nhà 铺满

have one's back to the wall

to be in a desperate situation The army in the south have their backs to the wall, and are fighting a losing battle. in die nou gedryf يكونُ ظَهْرُه إلى الحائِط، يكونُ في وَضْعٍ يائِس، وضْعٍ يَسْتَحيلُ فيه الفَرار притиснат съм до стената být v koncích stå med ryggen mod muren in die Enge getrieben sein είμαι στριμωγμένος, βρίσκομαι σε αδιέξοδο estar/encontrarse entre la espada y la pared lootusetus seisus olema ناچار بودن olla selkä seinää vasten avoir le dos au mur עִם הַגַב לַקִיר biti u očajnoj situaciji szorult helyzetben van dalam kesulitan eiga í vök að verjast (avere le spalle al muro) 窮地に陥って 막다른 골목에 몰리다 būti priremtam prie sienos būt bezizejas stāvoklī; būt piespiestam pie sienas dalam keadaan terdesak atau terpaksa met de rug tegen de muur staan stå med ryggen mot veggen być przypartym do muru estar em apuros a fi într-o situaţie disperată быть в безвыходном положении byť v koncoch biti pritisnjen ob steno priteran uza zid vara hårt ansatt อยู่ในสถานการณ์วิกฤต; หลังชนฝา ümitsiz bir durumda/köşeye sıkışmış olmak 走投無路 бути в скруті مشکل حالت میں ہونا tiến thoái lưỡng nan 处于绝境

up the wall

crazy This business is sending/driving me up the wall! maak my gek/mal مَجْنون подлудяващ poblázněný gøre skør an die Decke (gehen lassen) τρελός loco kas või seina mööda üles كلافه كردن hyppiä seinille fou לְהִשתַגֵע lud, sluđen őrült gila vitlaus, geggjaður furibondo 頭にくる 몹시 화가 나서 (varyti) iš proto [] traku gila, tidak siuman horendol gal, (drive) til vanvidd do szaleństwa louco nebun в бешенстве pobláznený zmešan lud galen, vansinnig บ้า; ฟั่นเฟือน zıvanadan çıkmış, deliye dönmüş 發狂 божевільний; безумний کسی کو بہت ناراض کرنا khiến ai điên lên 陷入困境

wall → جدار zeď mur Mauer τοίχος pared seinä mur zid muro 壁 벽 muur vegg ściana parede стена vägg กำแพง duvar bức tường 墙壁

wall (redirected from off the wall)

wall
(redirected from off the wall)