ピンボケ

ぴんぼけ
noun
out of focus; blurry; off the mark
informalartcommunication
1. out of focus; blurry
A photograph or image that is not in sharp focus. From ピント (focal point, from Dutch 'punt') + ボケ (blur, fading).
ピンボケ写真(しゃしん)
A blurry photo.
It was out of focus, so I retook it.
せっかく集合写真(しゅうごうしゃしん)ピンボケだった。
The group photo we took turned out blurry.
2. off the mark; missing the point
Figuratively describes a remark, response, or action that completely misses the point or is irrelevant to the topic at hand.
ピンボケな回答(かいとう)だ。
That's a completely off-the-mark answer.
(かれ)発言(はつげん)ピンボケだった。
His comment was totally off the mark.
Let's be careful not to let the discussion go off track.

Compound of ピント (focal point, from Dutch 'punt') and ボケ (blur, haziness). Originally a photography term that has expanded into everyday figurative use.

Usage

As a noun, it modifies other nouns directly (ピンボケ写真(しゃしん)) or functions as a な-adjective-like modifier (ピンボケな回答(かいとう)). In the figurative sense, it describes anything that misses the target — remarks, policies, responses, or actions.

Common collocations

Related words

  • ピント — focal point; focus
  • ボケ — blur; also used for the 'funny man' role in comedy
  • ()ブレ — camera shake; a different cause of blurry photos
  • 的外(まとはず) — off the mark; a synonym for the figurative meaning