Meaning: off form or condition; missing the mark. Use examples.
Rewrite 1: off his keen edge or his edge has gone softa5
Rewrite 2: off her guidesn4
Rewrite 3: he’s wide of his goalposts
Rewrite 4: she’s working from the wrong recipe

Comment: Ever wonder what “kilter” is in other countries? Go to Answers.com and scroll down to “Translations” to see the word in 14 languages.

More reading about clichés
What I found when I googled “clichés”:
• Judicial Cliches on Terrorism: Washington Post article on what “have become judicial cliches to be invoked in arguments about how the global struggle against terrorism is to be prosecuted.”