Meaning of 明後日の方向 (asatte no houkou) in Japanese

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Yomi

あさってのほうこう

Rōmaji

asatte no houkou

Type

idiom

Literal Meaning

the direction to the day after tomorrow

Meaning

to a completely wrong/unexpected direction; far off the point; off the mark/base

Synonym

予想の斜め上

Antonym

真っ直ぐ

Additional Info

Usage

It metaphorically indicates in an ironic/sarcastic tone that something goes in a completely wrong and unpredictable direction. For instance, an uncoordinated person often throws a ball towards 明後日の方向 (an unpredictable direction).

It is also used to indicate that something/someone goes far off the point, e.g. “明後日の方向に組織改革をした” (They did their organisational reform in 明後日の方向), meaning “Their organisational reform was far off the mark”.

Difference between 予想の斜め上を行く and 明後日の方向

予想の斜め上を行く is used for something both positive and negative and emphasises that something is unique, bizarre and/or unexpected. On the other hand, 明後日の方向 usually indicates that something is unreasonable and off the mark. Another difference is that 予想の斜め上を行く sounds much more slang and is predominantly used on the web.

Examples

ボールを蹴けったら明後日の方向に飛とんで行いった
I kicked the ball and it flew far away from the right/intended direction.

明後日の方向に議論ぎろんが進すすんでいる
The discussion is going off the point/in the wrong direction.