What does it mean?

Ute og kjøre means ‘out driving’, but (as you probably have guessed already) it really means something completely different.

It’s an expression Norwegians will use to say that 'you’re completely lost', 'acting crazy' or ‘have got hold of the wrong end of the stick’.

Use it when someone has lost it:

Nå er far helt ute og kjøre, dere. He har tatt strødd salt i stedet for sukker på bollene! — Dad has completely lost it, guys. He covered the buns with salt instead of sugar!

To tell someone off when they have a strong but clearly unfounded opinion:

Nei, vet du hva, nå er du helt ute og kjøre. — Honestly, what you’re saying is completely nuts.

To excuse yourself:

Beklager, jeg er visst litt ute og kjøre her. La meg omformulere.. — Sorry, I am rambling a bit here. Let me rephrase.. 

When someone is making a fool out of themselves:

Herregud, Maja var helt ute og kjøre etter den siste ølen. Hun monopoliserte karaokekvelden og sang ca alle sangene til Whitney Houston.. Tostemt. — Oh my god, Maja completely lost it after that last beer. She completely monopolised the karaoke evening with basically the entire collection of Whitney Houston's songs.. In duet.