out of frame
1
5.8
- idiom
- Specialized
:
fuera de cuadro
- In the photograph, the tree was so tall that its top was out of frame.
I didn't expect your head to be out of frame.
- I didn't expect your head to be out of frame.
- Ariadne the Minotaur scarcely defended himself, and we jump out of frame in that.
Examples
-
Then reaches out of frame to help the increasingly shaky salesman steady the camera.
Fiction book (1996) -
(Jean walks in and out of frame throughout the following.) # VOICE #
Fiction book (1996) -
Greg's head is out of frame.
Fiction book (1996) -
Rene accidentally gets pushed out of frame.
Fiction book (1996) -
Making sure my lights are out of frame, lowering that exposure again and snapping that shot.
-
While this goes on: Through a doorway in the back of the room, we see Beavis wander out of frame and then come back in.
Fiction book (1996) -
Parker reaches out of frame to remove the Sid 6.7 character module from within his skull.
Fiction book (1996) -
With a grunt, he bends down out of frame and then re-enters holding a thick log.
Fiction book (1996) -
The sub rights itself momentarily but is slammed downward out of frame by a huge, dark, slimy object.
Fiction book (1996) -
The actress stepped out of frame, leaving the audience curious about what happened next.
Synonyms
12
3.4
Kept where you cannot see it
5
2.8
Not able to be seen anymore
2
4.0
Happens outside the area the camera or screen shows so you cannot see it
Not shown in a picture or painting
Antonyms
How Relevant
Surface Forms
Morphology
The primary sense 'not visible within the borders of a picture' is directly and transparently derived from 'out' (outside) + 'frame' (the picture border), following a common spatial composition pattern that B1 learners can readily infer. The extended sense 'not appropriate or relevant' is a simple metaphorical extension (being 'outside the frame' = outside the context) that is also likely interpretable by learners who know the constituents and basic metaphorical mappings.
Etymology
Out of frame comes from taking pictures: if something is out of the frame, it sits outside the picture border and cannot be seen. So, the phrase now also means that something is 'not visible' or 'not relevant' to the situation.