English Reference
Idiom idiom

off the scale


Far in excess of what is normal or measurable.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The cost of this new car is off the scale.

CONTEXTUAL

The excitement in the stadium was off the scale when the home team scored the winning goal.

COMPLEX

The level of complexity in his research was off the scale, leaving even his most experienced colleagues struggling to grasp the core concepts.


Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    returns to scale

    a function describing how returns scale when production increases in the long run

  2. 02

    thumb on the scale

    An act of bias or a tactic for cheating which creates a situation that unfairly benefits one party involved in an interaction.

  3. 03

    tip the scale

    To change the fortunes, either positively or negatively.

  4. 04

    tip the scales

    To turn to one side of a balanced situation.

  5. 05

    turn the scale

    To decide or determine a balanced situation.

Last updated August 10, 2026