off the mark
off the mark — idiom
1. used to say that a statement, guess, or action is not correct or does not achiev
used to say that a statement, guess, or action is not correct or does not achieve what was expected or intended.
The journalist's prediction about the election results was completely off the mark.
completely off the mark — intensifier collocation
Mr. Lin's estimate for the renovation was way off the mark — the actual cost doubled.
way off the mark — intensifier collocation
The weather forecast was off the mark; we had sunshine instead of rain.
My first guess was off the mark, so I tried a different answer.
Critics who called the film boring were off the mark — the audience loved it.
- wide of the mark
Less common, slightly more formal variant
- inaccurate
Direct adjective; less idiomatic than the phrase
- wrong
Simpler and more neutral in register
- on the mark
Direct opposite; also an idiom
- accurate
Neutral, non-idiomatic opposite
- spot-on
Informal British synonym for 'exactly right'
文法句型
be off the mark
way/far/completely/wide off the mark
用法筆記
Commonly combined with intensifiers such as 'way', 'completely', 'far', or 'wide' placed directly before the phrase to emphasise the degree of inaccuracy.