What is the origin of the phrase from out of left field? My understanding is that the meaning is unexpected, or odd. Is that correct?
Real world examples of the phrase being used badly would be great 🙂
Learn English – Origin and meaning of “from out of left field”
etymologyexpressionsidiomsphrases
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Best Answer
This phrase comes from baseball. Wikipedia has a thorough description of the etymology:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left_fielder#Out_of_left_field
Among other theories listed there: "During this time period, the shape of the outfield in Yankee Stadium roughly approximated an oval,[3] 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."