off the scale
8
6.8
- idiom
:
fuera de lo normal
- The temperature in the greenhouse was off the scale during the heatwave.
- go off the scale
- just go off the scale
- readings off the scale
even close to bad because it's so far off the scale that it's like horrific. I think it's good thing for you to to know. That's it,
- even close to bad because it's so far off the scale that it's like horrific. I think it's good thing for you to to know. That's it,
- I was always fearful of dropping back off the scale. And fortunately
Examples
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Stillwood's heartbeat just jumped off the scale.
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This rate of cellular growth is off the scale.
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The levels of harassment there were off the scale.
Blog text (25) -
The temperature differentials must be off the scale.
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Her adrenaline levels are spiking off the scale.
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We got bacterial samples reading off the scale, though nothing's airborne.
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And as you rightly say, Rob, right now, anxiety, stress, etcetera is off the scale because we've had a biological pandemic.
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Her excitement was off the scale when she found out she had won the lottery.
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The new software's processing speed is off the scale, making it much faster than previous versions.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
More than usual in amount or strength
877
3.6
Very far away in place or in degree
31
6.2
Much higher than normal in amount or level
12
3.4
Higher than the usual or expected level
1
9.2
To make something as intense or dramatic as possible
1
4.9
Much higher than normal in amount or level
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is plausibly derivable from the parts: 'off' in the sense of 'away from/beyond' plus 'scale' as a measurement suggests something lying beyond the measurement range, so learners who know those senses can infer 'extremely high/beyond the normal range'. However, the expression requires shifting 'off' to an adverbial/metaphorical use and relies on an idiomatic measurement metaphor, so it is not wholly transparent to all B1 learners without some exposure.
Etymology
Off the scale comes from measuring tools: imagine a meter with numbers on a scale and the pointer or reading jumps past the top mark and falls off the scale. So, when something is off the scale, it means it is 'much higher' or more intense than the normal range.