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The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms » on a tangent
on a tangent
on a tangent idiom
On a sudden digression or change of course, as in The professor's hard to follow; he's always off on a tangent. This phrase often occurs in the idioms
fly off or go off on a tangent, as in The witness was convincing until he went off on a tangent. This expression alludes to the geometric tangent—a line or curve that touches but does not intersect with another line or curve. [Second half of 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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