1. That remark Jerry made wasn’t simply in poor taste. It was beyond the pale.
2. Ron received an invitation to dinner and didn’t have the decency to let his hosts know he wouldn’t be able to attend. I think that kind of behavior is beyond the pale.

The word pale in this expression should not be confused with the adjective meaning “colorless. ” Here, pale means a region surrounded by a paling or fence and ruled by a governing body. In British history, the pale was the area in and around Dublin, Ireland, which was colonized and ruled by the English. Beyond the pale was anything outside this area. To the English, this was synonymous with being outside law and order, i. e. outside civilization.