out of the way

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out of the way (comparative more out of the way, superlative most out of the way)

1. Alternative form of out-of-the-way (“remote or secluded”).
2. Unusual or out of the ordinary.
3. Improper or offensive. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

out of the way (comparative more out of the way, superlative most out of the way)

1. Unusually or excessively.
   • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 14, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 176:

     'I'm not an out of the way nervous woman.'

out of the way

1. (idiomatic) So as not to obstruct or hinder; not in the way.

   Please move your bike out of the way.

   I was elbowed out of the way by the bouncer.

   • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:

     In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

   • 2023 December 27, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: the way to Weymouth”, in RAIL, number 999, page 55:

     The railway ran through the resort's narrow streets up to Weymouth Quay station, with thoughtlessly parked vehicles sometimes having to be bumped out of the way.

2. (idiomatic) Taken care of; handled.

   Now that the main problems are out of the way, we can start working on the details.

• See: Thesaurus:remote place