off balance

[off balance] {adj. phr.}

1. Not in balance; not able to stand up straight and not fall; not able to keep from turning over or falling; unsteady.

* /Never stand up in a canoe; it will get off balance and turn over./

* /Paul was speeding along on his bicycle, when an unexpected hole in the road caught him off balance and he fell over./

2. Not prepared; not ready; unable to meet something unexpected.

* /Our quarterback kept the other team off balance by changing often from line plays to passes and tricky end runs./

* /The teacher's surprise test caught the class off balance, and nearly everyone got a poor mark./

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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms


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