out-of-sight

[out-uhv-sahyt]

adjective

1. Slang.,  fantastic; great; marvelous.

   an out-of-sight guitarist.

2. beyond reason; exceedingly high.

   out-of-sight hospital bills.

Word History and Origins

Origin of out of sight¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Idioms and Phrases

Also, out of someone's sight . Out of the range of vision, as in Stay out of sight while they're visiting , or Don't let the baby out of your sight in the yard . [c. 1200] This idiom is also used in the phrase get out of someone's sight , meaning “go away”; for example, Jean was furious with Bill and told him to get out of her sight at once .

Unreasonable, excessive, as in Our bill for the wine was out of sight . [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]

Excellent, superb, as in The graduation party was out of sight . This phrase is also used as an interjection meaning “Wonderful!” as in Do I like it? Out of sight! [ Slang ; second half of 1900s]

out of sight , out of mind . What is absent is soon forgotten, as in I don't think of them unless they send a Christmas card—out of sight, out of mind, I guess . This phrase has been proverbial since Homer's time; the earliest recorded use in English was about 1450.

Example Sentences

He said California is on the cusp of more dedicated efforts to replenish water reserves that have long been largely out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

From Los Angeles Times

In others, like the Phoenix recycling center he designed with the artist Linnea Glatt, he created a structure that invited the public to observe how its waste was handled, turning what had been an out-of-sight, out-of-mind process into a source for education and even civic pride.

From New York Times

"Our key behavioural finding is that -- across all three populations -- male grackles were faster than female grackles at relearning the location of an out-of-sight treat. This robust result means male grackles are more efficient foragers in uncertain environments," said Breen.

From Science Daily

Under the proposed new rules, out-of-sight flights would be allowed at low altitude in areas where other aircraft would not be expected to operate.

From BBC

Rant to block after block of nearby apartment, town house and condo residents who over fill their dumpsters while recycling gets the “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” treatment.

From Seattle Times