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Article: 'Left field' on the right track.(Spotlight)
- Article from:
- Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
- Article date:
- June 26, 2008
- Author:
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Byline: Mike Rudeen, Rocky Mountain News
G.C. wondered about the origin of the phrase out of left field or out in left field, for someone or something that is a bit odd or eccentric.
My thought is that it's just more anti-lefty sentiment, similar to expressions such as two left feet to describe a bad dancer or left- handed compliment for an insincere or derogatory comment. The word sinister comes from a root that means "left-handed." It seems that left-handers, a minority in the population, fall under the "other is bad" syndrome.
But Roger, a reader from Boulder, found a reference indicating baseball-specific sources for the expression. One is ...