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Out of turn?

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Reader question: In this sentence – We should be able to handle any out of turn remarks or behavior on our own – what does “out of turn” mean?

My comments: When we do something in succession, that is one by one, we are said to be doing it IN TURN.

In the classroom, for example, pupils are often ordered to speak in turn, that is, to speak one after another in an orderly fashion. If someone jumps the queue and speaks before his turn (opportunity to speak), then he is said to be speaking OUT OF TURN.

That sort of behavior is necessarily frowned upon because, in school or elsewhere, such disruptive conduct is generally considered to be impolite and improper.

Hence out-of-turn remarks, remarks that are considered inappropriate and inopportune, either the words are inappropriate or the words might be fine but they are uttered by a person who is not in a position to make those remarks at that particular time or occasion.

In short, out of turn remarks are better not to have been said, as they may cause embarrassment and are therefore prone to criticism. When, for example, US President Barrack Obama remarked in a trip to Europe last month that “Turkey is bound to Europe by more than bridges over the Bosporus”, and therefore “Turkish membership (in the European Union) would broaden and strengthen Europe’s foundation,” a EUObserver.com article (April 9, 2009) questioned: Did Barack Obama talk out of turn about Turkey?