offbeam

English

Etymology

From off- +‎ beam.

Adjective

offbeam (comparative more offbeam, superlative most offbeam)

Not onbeam.
1. Not in line with excited parallel neurofibers.
  - 1976 January, Naiphinich Kotchabhakdi, “Functional circuitry of the goldfish cerebellum”, in Journal of comparative physiology, volume 112, number 1:
    A Diagram of neuronal circuitry and positions of extracellular microelectrodes (EME) for recording from stellate ceils ($7), intracellular microelectrodes (IME) for recording from Purkinje cells (PC), two local stimulating electrodes (LSE 1 and LSE 2) for stimulating parallel fibers (PF), offbeam and onbeam respectively.
2. Not connected to a broadcast signal.
  - 1978, IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Group, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers., EASCON Record, page 311:
    The first category ensures that the antenna sidelobe patterns are held to close tolerances to limit offbeam power densities and that the frequencies are chosen with due regard to the positions and levels of intermodulation products.
  - 2003, David Brin, Kiln People, →ISBN:
    I took the car offbeam and turned around, gunning it back toward the city.
Alternative form of off-beam
- 1945, Terry Morris, No Hiding Place, page 145:
  We have an Italian fellow in our outfit, who fought for Mussolini in the Ethiopian war. Obviously, to anyone but the examining board, that is, he's offbeam.
- 1983, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry., Agricultural Act of 1982:
  It is not that we are trying to produce something offbeam that they are not ready for.
- 2005, Rosie Thomas, Sun at Midnight, →ISBN, page 462:
  It was her only just-offbeam version of this, wasn't it, that Edith had offered him down in Ushuaia?

Alternative forms

off-beam