left field

/ˌlɛft ˌˈfild/

Other forms: left fields

In baseball, the left field is the half of the outfield, beyond third base, that's to the left of the catcher as he faces the pitcher. If you say something is "coming from left field" and you are not talking baseball, you are implying that it's shocking or random.

From the baseball and softball meaning of left field comes the figurative, popular meaning of the term. If someone accuses you of being out in left field, they mean that you're completely unconventional or hold a surprising (or even weird) point of view. This meaning dates from the 1940s, when it originally meant "out of touch with reality."

Definitions of left field

1. noun

   the piece of ground in the outfield on the catcher's left
   synonyms: left, leftfield

   type of:

   parcel, parcel of land, piece of ground, piece of land, tract

   an extended area of land
2. noun

   the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is expected to field balls in the left third of the outfield (looking from home plate)
   synonyms: leftfield

   type of:

   position

   (in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player