out of nowhere

Idioms & Phrases

out of nowhere

Suddenly, unexpectedly, as in That anonymous letter turned up out of nowhere. It is often put as come out of nowhere, as in Their team came out of nowhere and won the state championship. This term uses out of in the sense of "from," and nowhere in the sense of "an unknown place." For a synonym, see out of a clear blue sky.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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