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beyond the pale

idiom

2 meanings of beyond the pale

Practice

  1. 1
    unacceptableidiom
    Describes a person or action that is too wrong or unwise to be accepted.

    His rude jokes at the funeral were beyond the pale.

    After she lied to the whole team, many people saw her as beyond the pale.

    Note
  2. 2
    outside limitsidiom
    Outside the limits of something, usually followed by the word of.

    The old hermit lived beyond the pale of village life, deep in the woods.

    The tiny island sat beyond the pale of any government's control.

    Note

Practice

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Origin

A pale was a fence of wooden stakes marking a boundary, so something beyond the pale is outside the accepted limits.