“Go off on a tangent”
CommunicationDefinition
Über ein Thema zu sprechen oder nachzudenken, das nichts mit dem Hauptthema zu tun hat.
English: To start talking or thinking about a subject unrelated to the main topic.
Beispiele
Beispiele
1 / 2“I asked about the budget, but he went off on a tangent about his holiday.”
Ich fragte nach dem Budget, aber er fing an, über seinen Urlaub zu reden, was damit nichts zu tun hatte.
Use this idiom in context
Rewrite this example in plain English without the idiom. Preserve who is speaking, the time and the meaning.
I asked about the budget, but he went off on a tangent about his holiday.Compare with the original example
I asked about the budget, but he went off on a tangent about his holiday.
Ich fragte nach dem Budget, aber er fing an, über seinen Urlaub zu reden, was damit nichts zu tun hatte.
Write a two-line conversation using “Go off on a tangent”. Make the situation clear enough that a reader can infer the meaning. Then replace the idiom with a plain-English explanation: does your conversation still mean the same thing?
Check the expression in a dictionaryHäufig gestellte Fragen
- What does "Go off on a tangent" mean?
- "Go off on a tangent" means über ein thema zu sprechen oder nachzudenken, das nichts mit dem hauptthema zu tun hat.
- How do you use "Go off on a tangent" in a sentence?
- Example: "I asked about the budget, but he went off on a tangent about his holiday."
- Should I interpret "Go off on a tangent" word for word?
- Understand the expression as a whole. Use the definition and example to learn its meaning rather than translating each word separately.