off the beam

off the beam

Mistaken, inaccurate, or incorrect; going against or straying away from the correct line of thinking. Hyphenated if used before a noun. I'm saddened that the president would choose to make remarks about our troops that are so off the beam. The CEO's off-the beam plans ended up costing the company nearly half a billion dollars in lost revenue.
See also: beam, off

off the beam

Off course, on the wrong track, as in He's way off the beam with that argument. This colloquial term and its antonym, on the beam, meaning "on the right track," allude to directing aircraft by means of radio beams. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]
See also: beam, off

on the beam

On course; on the right track. This colloquialism originated about the mid-twentieth century, when aircraft began to be directed by radio beams. Its converse is off the beam, meaning “wrong” or “incorrect.” Both expressions began to be transferred to other enterprises almost at once.
See also: beam, on
References in periodicals archive ?
Ellie Downie slipped off the beam after sister Becky had pulled out an impressive 15.
Downie and out
She came off the beam in the second of four disciplines, but steadied herself on the floor at the scene of her fall - though she was penalised for stepping out of bounds.
DOWNIE AND OUT; More hell for brave Ellie as girls fall shortin team test
There were a few small hiccups along the way for the Brits wi th Becky Downie suffering a fall during her uneven bars routine and Claudia Fragapane coming off the beam.
Tinkler's on top of world in Glasgow; GYMNASTICS
Antlers typically have long beams with five and (rarely) six points coming forward off the beam.
American elk: a profile of North America's most revered big-game species
Fragapane came off the beam to slightly dent her medal bid, scoring 12.
Whelan takes bronze at the Hydro
He began his performance impressively, but slipped off the beam and could garner only 14.
Merdinyan wins after Berki falters; Iordache takes vault
Biles, however, fell off the beam while performing the last of three moves in a tumbling series and finished seventh (13.
Giant leap; Ohashi, Biles 1-2 in senior debuts
The laser diode (LD) sends a coherent bean through the pin hole (PH) which spreads it into a cone of light which is partially reflected off the beam splitter (beam cube BC) to become the reference beam.
A low-cost holographic microscope
I've heard that people do that which is why I have started hanging off the beam in the garage by my feet to keep my body at full stretch.
Short story turns into a tall tale
In 10 previous practice trials with no medication, none of the 25 participants stepped off the beam, indicating no loss of balance.
Common sleep medicine puts older adults at risk for nighttime falls
Nugent said that feat simulated a safety feature of the laser's "machine-vision" tracking system, which is designed to shut off the beam if something wanders too close to its path.
Beam me up some power
TIGHT LIPPED: Business Secretary Vince Cable, right, looks on as another piece of steel comes off the beam mill Pictures by IAN McINTYRE
Cable is under fire after Corus visit
She placed seventh overall, narrowly missing out on an all-round medal due to a fall off the beam.
Barry YMCA gymnasts jumping for joy in Welsh Novice; GYMNASTICS
A slip on the uneven bars saw her lose valuable points on her strongest apparatus and she then twice fell off the beam as it proved her downfall once again after also costing her in Wednesday's qualifying.
Smith's hopes left in tatters
Having tasted success at national, European and world level, Tweddle would love to complete the set in Beijing after the disappointment of Athens four years ago where she fell off the beam and missed out on the final of the asymmetric bars.
Tweddle confident she'll be fit for the Olympics; Any medal of any colour would be the icing on the cake BETH TWEDDLE
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