Example: His idea came out of left field and surprised everyone.
Definition
"To come out of left field" is an expression used to describe something unexpected or surprising, especially an idea or comment that appears suddenly and seems unrelated or unusual in a given context.
Translations
surgir inesperadamente
uit onverwachte hoek komen
sorgir inesperadament
sortir de nulle part
aus heiterem Himmel kommen
Etymology
The phrase "to come out of left field" originates from baseball, where the left field is an area less likely to be involved directly in the main action. It suggests something unexpected or surprising, as if it appeared from an unlikely place. Did you know this term became popular in the mid-20th century to describe surprising or unpredictable events?
Learn to use this expression actively
"To come out of left field" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - Idioms and Proverbs - (C2) - set 1", containing 106 commonly used expressions.
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