out of joint


Dislocated, as in Trying to break his fall, he put his shoulder out of joint. [Late 1300s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use out of joint in a sentence

  • The ill-conditioned think all things awry, and the whole world out-of-joint.

    Character | Samuel Smiles
  • Anna nearly forgot her out-of-joint arm when the four reached the marsh.

    The Only Woman in the Town | Sarah J. Prichard