kilter

be off-kilter

1. To be out of equilibrium; to not be straight, level, or aligned properly; to be in a state of chaos or confusion. I've been off-kilter ever since I got that blow to the head during football practice. The economy is still off-kilter in many countries across Europe, even as the global economy has started to recover.

2. To not be working correctly or properly; to be out of order; to be out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine is a bit off-kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

get off-kilter

1. To become out of equilibrium; to become not straight, level, or aligned properly; to be in a state of chaos or confusion. Between my divorce, the death of my best friend, and the financial troubles at work, it seems like everything in my life has gotten off-kilter recently. John got a little off-kilter after being knocked in the head in football practice earlier.

2. To stop working correctly or properly; to be or become out of order; to be out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine has gotten a bit off-kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

go off-kilter

1. To become out of equilibrium; to become not straight, level, or aligned properly; to be in a state of chaos or confusion. Between my divorce, the death of my best friend, and the financial troubles at work, it seems like everything in my life has gone off-kilter recently. The economies of nearly every country in the world went off-kilter after the economic collapse.

2. To stop working correctly or properly; to be or become out of order; to be out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine has gone a bit off-kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

be out of kilter

1. To be out of equilibrium; to not be straight, level, or aligned properly; to be in a state of chaos or confusion. I've been out of kilter ever since I got that blow to the head during football practice. The economy is still out of kilter in many countries across Europe, even as the global economy has started to recover.

2. To not work correctly or properly; to be out of order; to be out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine is a bit out of kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

See also: kilter, of, out

get out of kilter

1. To become out of equilibrium; to become not straight, level, or aligned properly; to be in a state of chaos or confusion. Between my divorce, the death of my best friend, and the financial troubles at work, it seems like everything in my life has gotten out of kilter recently. John got a little out of kilter after being knocked in the head in football practice earlier.

2. To stop working correctly or properly; to be or become out of order; to be out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine has gotten a bit out of kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

go out of kilter

1. To be or become out of equilibrium; to become not straight, level, or aligned properly; to be in a state of chaos or confusion. Between my divorce, the death of my best friend, and the financial troubles at work, it seems like everything in my life has gone out of kilter recently. The economies of nearly every country in the world went out of kilter after the economic collapse.

2. To stop working correctly or properly; to be or become out of order; to be out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine has gone a bit out of kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

See also: kilter, of, out

off-kilter

1. Out of equilibrium; not straight, level, or aligned properly; in a state of confusion or chaos. I felt a bit off-kilter for a while after receiving that blow to the head during football practice. The economy has remained off-kilter in many countries across Europe, even as the global economy has started to recover. Between my divorce, the death of my best friend, and the financial troubles at work, it seems like everything in my life has gone off-kilter recently.

2. Not working correctly or properly; out of order; out of w(h)ack. It sounds like your car's engine is a bit off-kilter. I'd recommend taking it to a mechanic before you go for any long drives.

*out of kilter

and *off-kilter

1. Lit. out of balance; crooked or tilted. (*Typically: be ~; get ~; knock something ~.) John, your tie is sort of off-kilter. Let me fix it. Please straighten the picture on the wall. It's out of kilter.

2. Fig. malfunctioning; on the fritz. (*Typically: be ~; go ~.) My furnace is out of kilter. I have to call someone to fix it. This computer is out of kilter. It doesn't let me log on.

See also: kilter, of, out

out of kilter

1. not working well or not in good condition out of whack Going just one night without sleep throws me out of kilter for a couple of days afterward. She wasn't behaving normally - her sense of humor was out of kilter.

2. not matching out of whack His fancy new home seems slightly out of kilter with his plain, quiet image.

See also: kilter, of, out

out of kilter

1. if something is out of kilter, it is not operating or working as it should Even one sleepless night can throw your body out of kilter.

2. if two things are out of kilter, or if one thing is out of kilter with another, they are not similar any more (often + with ) A further tax increase on cigarettes would put Britain out of kilter with the rest of Europe.

See also: kilter, of, out

out of kilter

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."

See also: kilter, of, out

out of kilter

1. mod. not functioning properly; on the fritz; out of w(h)ack. My car’s engine is out of kilter and needs some repair work.

2. mod. out of square. That corner is not square, and the wall even looks out of kilter.

See also: kilter, of, out

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Elmira	el-MIR-ə	Literature
Israa	-	Arabic
Stafford	STAF-ərd	English
Leevi	LE:-vee	Finnish
Trendafilka	-	Macedonian
Busch	[buəʃ]