English Experts

[Simon Vasconcelos]

I think the assumption of "the black marriage crisis" is that black women want to marry black men. It is not completely off base, as most people do marry within their race. But It is a narrow perspective that ignores black women in interracial relationships, women who don't wish to marry and lesbian women.

[Henry Cunha]

off base = sem base, mal fundamentado, incorreto

Não sei se esse uso figurado de "base" tem sua origem nos jogos de cricket ou baseball, por exemplo, em que o jogador "on base" está "protegido", ou se a origem é ainda mais antiga, tendo a ver com bases geográficas militares ou populares de apoio, etc.

[Thomas]

"To be on base" and "to be off base" are baseball terms. In baseball,. if you are "off base", you are in danger of being tagged with a ball and losing your chance to score points for your team.

When not used in relation to baseball, usually someone who is "off base" is mistaken, wrong.
If you think I am in love with your girlfriend, you are off base.
When they told us we had caused problems at school, they were off base.

(I say "usually", because it could also be a military term.)

*off base
1. Lit. [of a runner in baseball] not having a foot touching the base. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) The runner was off base but the first baseman didn't tag him out.
2. Fig. unrealistic; inexact; wrong. *Typically: be ~; get ~.) I'm afraid you're off base when you state that this problem will take care of itself. You're way off base if you think I was to blame!
(the FreeDictionary)