go off at a tangent
go off at a tangent (idiom)
/ɡəʊ ɒf ət ə ˈtændʒənt/
Meanings
- To suddenly change the subject in conversation, moving away from the main topic.
- To act or think in a way that is unexpected, irregular, or not connected to what came before.
- To move away in a straight line from a curve at a single point of contact (literal).
Synonyms: digress; deviate; wander off; get sidetracked; ramble.
Example Sentences
- During the meeting, he went off at a tangent and started talking about his holiday instead of the project.
- She often goes off at a tangent, bringing up unrelated ideas that no one expected.
- The ball went off at a tangent when it hit the curved edge of the wall. (literal)
Origin and History
The phrase “go off at a tangent” derives its metaphorical significance from principles of geometry, where a tangent represents a straight line that touches a curve at precisely one point before diverging sharply. This image of abrupt separation from a curved path—symbolizing a continuous or expected trajectory—mirrors the idiom’s application to discourse or thought that veers unexpectedly from its primary course. Historical linguistic analysis traces this figurative extension to the late 18th century, reflecting the era’s growing familiarity with mathematical concepts among educated circles.
Historical Development
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the idiom embedded itself firmly in English literary and conversational usage, often invoked to critique or humorously acknowledge digressions in narrative or argumentation. Its adoption coincided with broader cultural shifts toward valuing structured reasoning in prose and debate, making the phrase a concise rebuke against unstructured wandering in intellectual pursuits. By the mid-19th century, it appeared routinely in novels and essays, underscoring themes of discipline amid the Romantic inclination toward free association.
Over time, regional adaptations proliferated, with American English favoring “go off on a tangent” to convey a similar sense of tangential pursuit, though the core imagery remained unaltered.
Origins in British Context
The phrase first materialized within the cultural and linguistic milieu of 18th-century Britain, where Enlightenment influences elevated geometric metaphors in everyday expression. This British genesis aligns with the nation’s preeminence in mathematical discourse during the period, fostering idioms that drew from scientific precision to describe human behavior.
Earliest Documented Appearance
The inaugural printed instance of a close variant, “flew off at a tangent,” occurs in Tobias Smollett’s epistolary novel The Expedition of Humphry Clinker, published in 1771. In a letter dated from Bramble’s travels, the narrative recounts a curate’s abrupt withdrawal upon discovering a clerical appointment’s prior claim:
“The curate… flew off at a tangent, and Mrs. Tabby was obliged to deprive him of the cure.”
This usage encapsulates the idiom’s nascent figurative intent, illustrating emotional or decisional divergence with geometric vividness. A subsequent variant, “go off at a tangent,” follows shortly within the same work, in a reflection on solitude’s pull: the protagonist contemplates resuming misanthropic isolation “with redoubled velocity,” evoking the phrase to denote a swift return to prior inclinations. These instances mark the idiom’s debut in literary record, predating widespread dissemination by decades.
Variants
- go off on a tangent
- go off tangentially
- fly off at a tangent
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