Term - "Off the wall"?

Question

I heard a country-western song in which a pool hustler got out-hustled. In the song, the super-hustler says "I only play off the wall with friends", then goes out to his car to get his custom-made pool cue. I assume "off the wall" means the cues on the rack in the pool hall, and thus "ordinary" or "common-place".

Do you all use that term that way? Most peope use "off the wall" to mean "wild and crazy", as in "off the wall idea", with suggestions the thinker is bouncing off the walls.

I don't play. I was just curious. Terms sometimes get changed outside of their sport. For example, I know that "up to par" means "average" to most non-golfers, but "par" is darn good. If you could shoot par consistently, on championship courses, you'd be somewhere between 10th and 40th place in the PGA tour. Not #1, but you could make a comfortable living working outdoors in pleasant surroundings without having to wear a tie.

Answer 1

Instead of "off the wall" to denote ordinary or commonplace, I use "off the rack."    It will be interesting to see if anyone knows how the saying got its start.

Answer 2

In that case its a "spur of the moment thing " Not planned

To shoot off the wall means to use a house stick

I used it to describe a question about a Stake Horse a few days ago-Meaning  Kind of strange- some off the wall BS

It has alot of diffrent meanings

Answer 3

That's a cool song.  Dave Dudley-Pool Shark.  Johnny as usual has it.  Means playing with a house cue.

Answer 4

Hello

off the wall means  Jumping on the other side or going to opposite Party

Answer 5

Tom...

We both know what 'off the wall' means.  

adj. Informal.

Very unconventional or unusual: manic, off-the-wall creativity; off-the-wall humor.

Exhibiting bizarre behavior; crazy: their off-the-wall friends.

Answer 6

Off the wall means different or strange, as well as wild and crazy.  I shoot pool.... and that is not a term used connected to billiards..... I have my own pool cues.....and do consider them better that the ordinary and abused cues from public places.  Hope this helps.....