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I have seen people use both phrases (and I have even used the first phrase many times) to mean that something is out of scope/not relevant to the topic at hand. Say your teacher gives you an essay on the French Revolution and you end up writing a whole section on the American Revolution; your teacher would say that the essay was "out of point".

I have looked up these two phrases online, and the former is not listed in any dictionary. The second phrase is only found here. Both of the phrases are used by people on Twitter, but I have not found an authoritative source on either of them.

Can somebody confirm the usage of the two phrases please?

Edit: in Maltese English, "out of point" is used very commonly, so I suppose the phrase is very much in use in Malta, however I am more concerned with the usage of the phrases in other forms of English (British/American and the rest).

Al-cameleer
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    The phrases I know are on point and not on point, on topic and off topic. – Yosef Baskin Nov 03 '22 at 14:28
  • Out of point marks you immediately as a non-native speaker. I used to have a Russian colleauge who would always say at this point of time as opposed to the native speaker’s at this point in time. We all knew what he meant, and in light Russian accent it was actually kind of charming. –  Nov 03 '22 at 20:00
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    @GlobalCharm, that is my understanding, too, which is why I stopped using it altogether once that was pointed out to me. However, something I have failed to mention (and I will add it to the question itself) is that "out of point" is very common in Malta (my country) where English is an official language. I would say it is a "Maltese English" phrase in common use in Malta. – Al-cameleer Nov 03 '22 at 20:17
  • You could always say that’s out of point, as we (or they) say in Malta. Sometimes an original form of expression can make something stick in the listener’s or the reader’s mind. IMHO, however, it’s best that the speaker know that it’s not the standard form. –  Nov 04 '22 at 21:19
  • Going off the point (=moving the discussion away from the intended topic) is common - see Barrie England's comment here as well as some alternative phrases. – Stuart F Aug 01 '23 at 08:20

1 Answers1

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Yosef Baskin is right. Two other words can be used to convey the same meaning

Irrelevant (Wiktionary) Not relevant: Not at all related: totally unrelated, wholly unconnected, completely inapplicable. Not usefully related: not associated in any way that is important or useful to the context being discussed: not materially applicable; having connections not applicable in the present situation.

On the mark (FARLEX), off the mark (FARLEX) and wide of the mark (FARLEX) can also be used.

banuyayi
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