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- out of kilter
out of kilter
*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.
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.
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.
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."
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.