out of court

phrasal

1. : without a court hearing : by private arrangement

settling the dispute out of court

2. : out of consideration : extraneous to a discussion : too ill-advised or ridiculous to be considered

the nationalists … have put themselves out of court as desirable rulers of African communities — A.P.Ryan

* * *

out of court

1. Without a trial in a lawcourt

2. Without claim to be considered

• • •

Main Entry: ↑court

* * *

out of court adverb

Thesaurus: relating to the law or laws or the work of lawyers_hyponym

Main entry: out-of-court

* * *

1) before a legal hearing can take place

they are trying to settle the squabble out of court | [as adj.] an out-of-court settlement

2) treated as impossible or not worthy of consideration

the price would put it out of court for most private buyers