kilter

[ kil-ter ]

noun

1. good condition; order:

   The engine was out of kilter.

2. Poker. skeet ².

kilter

/ ˈkɪltə /

noun

1. working order or alignment (esp in the phrases off kilter, out of kilter )

Word History and Origins

Origin of kilter¹

First recorded in 1630–40; variant of dial. kelter < ?

Word History and Origins

Origin of kilter¹

C17: origin unknown

Idioms and Phrases

see out of kilter .

Example Sentences

"I had explained the situation to him... and then he asked a very off kilter question about sex, which kind of threw me a little bit," she said.

From BBC

“We build a statistical profile around what good normal looks like. We can see, based on the data the bank has, if something is normal behaviour, or anomalistic and out of kilter.”

From BBC

"These are things that we didn't recommend for the other parts of the UK because they are so far out of kilter with the steps we feel the country needs to take over all."

From BBC

"As I was watching, something felt out of kilter," he said.

From BBC

"And the cost of renting is completely out of kilter with what you earn. So living like this is an alternative. It's less comfortable, but it allows me to keep living on the island."

From BBC