he shot wide of the mark
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
He was altogether in error. The allusion is to shooting at the mark or bull's-eye of a target.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “he shot wide of the mark” mean?
He was altogether in error. The allusion is to shooting at the mark or bull's-eye of a target.
Is “he shot wide of the mark” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.