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out-of-bounds
[ out-uhv-boundz ]
adjective
- Sports. being beyond or passing the limits or boundaries of a field, course, etc., marking the area within which the ball, puck, or the like is legally in play.
- beyond any established boundaries or prescribed limits; forbidden; prohibited.
- further than or beyond established limits, as of behavior or thought.
out of bounds
adjective
- often foll by to not to be entered (by); barred (to)
out of bounds to civilians
- outside specified or prescribed limits
Word History and Origins
Origin of out-of-bounds1
Idioms and Phrases
Beyond established limits, breaking the rules, unreasonable. For example, Calling the teacher a liar—that's out of bounds . This expression alludes to the boundaries of the playing area in numerous sports and to the rules applying to them. Its figurative use dates from the 1940s. [Early 1800s] Also see within bounds .Example Sentences
They police activity, smack down out-of-bounds behavior, punish wrongdoers, and generally tamp down volatility.
This "out-of-bounds" passion will of course be recognised as a Romantic trait, though it had Classical suggestions.
"You can get around that out-of-bounds business without any trouble," he said.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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