I was wondering if the movie ...
Question: I was wondering if the movie Field of Dreams coined the popular phrase "out of left field," which refers to when someone says or does something out of whack. Is this movie where the term originated?
Answer: The easy part of the answer is no: The term "out of left field" existed long before Field of Dreams (1989). The hard part is that there's been an awful lot of discussion (and will probably be much, much more) about precisely where it did come from and when. No less an expert than William Safire has tackled the question in the New York Times, and the two most prevalent theories appear to be these: First, that it originated as an insult during the 1920s, when right fielder Babe Ruth played for the Yankees and only an idiot or a crazy person would buy tickets for left-field seats at Yankee Stadium. Second, continuing the lunatic theme, another theory suggests that the phrase originated in Chicago, where West Side Park stadium, home of the Cubs, was built near a mental hospital called the Neuropsychiatric Institute — the building stood closest to left field. This etymology would also date the phrase to the early part of the 20th century. And let's not forget that the Latin word for "left" is sinister, which appears to have contributed to the age-old association of left-handedness of any kind with the wicked or suspicious. That may come into it somewhere as well.
