left field
/ˌlɛft ˈfild/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.09 in modern English
16
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and to the left of a person standing on home plate and facing the pitcher.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An unexpected, bizarre, or unwatched source (especially in the phrases out of left field and from left field).
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The double, by pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra, curved sharply toward foul ground in deep left field but then changed its mind and hit the line instead—a big hit, and a smile at last from the great and enigmatically difficult game."
- "Some of her comments really came from left field. I have no idea what she was thinking."
- "There is no serendipity without a flash of insight from left field, an oblique eureka effect."
- "There was no shortage of dropped jaws when news came through about the appointment of the recently ennobled Lord Peter Hendy as rail minister. This was certainly a left-field move, taking everyone (perhaps even himself) by surprise."
- "Tonne is way out in left field if he thinks a voice writing machine will never be built or that there are no existing prototypes or work being done in this […]"
- "Maybe I am way out in left field with this statement, but I don’t think enough people appreciate their mailmen (ladies)."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌlɛft ˈfild/