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It basically means outside of polite society... or beyond the boundaries of where you should stay.

There is an excellent article about the phrase at World Wide Words. See the related link below.

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13y ago
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11y ago

Dublin, the seat of English rule in Ireland for 750 years, was the heart of a 'civilized' Anglo-Irish area (eastern Ireland) known as 'the Pale.' In the nominally English territory of Ireland, only the pale fell genuinely under the authority of English law, hence the terms within the pale and beyond the pale. Anything 'beyond the Pale' was considered uncultured and almost barbaric … purely Irish.

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14y ago

This expression dates from the English occupation of Ireland. It means "totally unacceptable," though some people use it merely to mean "going too far." The Pale was an enclave of English power, and so to be from "beyond the Pale," as a person or an idea, meant to be too rude, crude and dangerous to tolerate.

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Q: What does 'beyond the pale' mean?
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