out of kilter

Idioms and Phrases

Also, out of whack . Not properly adjusted, not working well, out of order. For example, This whole schedule is out of kilter with the rest of our projects , or The wheels on the trailer are out of whack . The first term, also spelled kelter , dates from the early 1600s and its origin is not known. The precise allusion of the variant, a colloquial term dating from the late 1800s, is also unclear. Possibly it relates to a whack , or blow, throwing something off, or some suggest, to wacky , that is, “crazy.”

Related Words

• busted
• defective
• faulty
• ruined
• wrecked