tangent

Related to tangent: trigonometry, Tangent function

(off) on a tangent

Addressing a topic or topics not relevant to the main discussion. I tried to address the customer's problem, but she kept going off on a tangent and I couldn't understand what her true complaint was. In the middle of our conversation about my finances, my advisor went on a tangent about current events.
See also: on, tangent

fly off at a tangent

To begin addressing or discussing a topic that is different than or not relevant to the main discussion. I tried to address the customer's problem, but she kept flying off at a tangent and I couldn't understand what her true complaint was. In the middle of our conversation about my finances, my advisor flew off at a tangent about current events.
See also: fly, off, tangent

go (off) on a tangent

To begin addressing or discussing a topic or topics not relevant to the main discussion. I tried to address the customer's problem, but she kept going off on a tangent and I couldn't understand what her true complaint was. In the middle of our conversation about my finances, my advisor went on a tangent about current events.
See also: go, on, tangent

go off

1. Of an explosive device, to explode. Run! The bomb in the building could go off at any moment!
2. Of an alarm, to enter into an active state, typically resulting in a loud noise or other indication. The whole building had to evacuate because the smoke alarm went off. The silent alarm went off at the bank, we'd better check it out.
3. To depart. If you want Mom to get something for you, you better talk to her before she goes off to the store.
4. To stop functioning. You better go look for coffee in another department—our pot went off before it was finished brewing. The power went off hours ago—what's taking them so long to get it back on?
5. To happen. Considering all the problems we had beforehand, it's amazing that our party went off so well!
6. To expire, as of food or drink. "Off" in this usage means spoiled or rotten. Don't eat those leftovers—they're a week old and have definitely gone off.
7. To stop taking a medication, which is stated after "off." Didn't the doctor tell you that you have to go off a medication like this gradually?
8. To become very angry and hostile, often unexpectedly. The boss just came into my office and went off on me for no apparent reason. Every time I bring up that topic, he just goes off.
9. To talk about something at length. Grandpa went off on politics for so long that our dinner got cold.
10. To die. At Christmastime, I really miss the relatives who have gone off before us.
11. slang To orgasm. I don't think I'll sleep with him again—I didn't go off the last time.
See also: go, off

go off at a tangent

To begin addressing or discussing a topic or topics not relevant to the main discussion. I tried to address the customer's problem, but she kept going off at a tangent and I couldn't understand what her true complaint was. In the middle of our conversation about my finances, my advisor went off at a tangent about current events.
See also: go, off, tangent

off at a tangent

On a course of discussion that is irrelevant or divergent from the topic at hand. Primarily heard in UK. If we keep going off at a tangent, we'll never get through this meeting. It's impossible to get through a conversation with my mother because she's always going off at a tangent.
See also: off, tangent
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

go off

 
1. Lit. [for an explosive device] to explode. The fireworks all went off as scheduled. The bomb went off and did a lot of damage.
2. Lit. [for a sound-creating device] to make its noise. The alarm went off at six o'clock. The siren goes off at noon every day.
3. Fig. [for an event] to happen or take place. The party went off as planned. Did your medical examination go off as well as you had hoped?
See also: go, off

go off

(by oneself) to go into seclusion; to isolate oneself. She went off by herself where no one could find her. I have to go off and think about this.
See also: go, off

go off

(into something) to go away to something; to depart and go into something. He went off into the army. Do you expect me just to go off into the world and make a living?
See also: go, off

go off on a tangent

Fig. to pursue a somewhat related or irrelevant course while neglecting the main subject. Don't go off on a tangent. Stick to your job. Just as we started talking, Henry went off on a tangent about the high cost of living.
See also: go, off, on, tangent

go off (with someone)

to go away with someone. Tom just now went off with Maggie. I think that Maria went off with Fred somewhere.
See also: go, off
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

go off

1. Explode, detonate; also, make noise, sound, especially abruptly. For example, I heard the gun go off, or The sirens went off at noon. This expression developed in the late 1500s and gave rise about 1700 to the related go off half-cocked, now meaning "to act prematurely" but originally referring to the slipping of a gun's hammer so that the gun fires (goes off) unexpectedly.
2. Leave, depart, especially suddenly, as in Don't go off mad, or They went off without saying goodbye. [c. 1600]
3. Keep to the expected plan or course of events, succeed, as in The project went off smoothly. [Second half of 1700s]
4. Deteriorate in quality, as in This milk seems to have gone off. [Late 1600s]
5. Die. Shakespeare used this sense in Macbeth (5:9): "I would the friends we missed were safely arrived.-Some must go off."
6. Experience orgasm. D.H. Lawrence used this slangy sense in Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928): "You couldn't go off at the same time...." This usage is probably rare today. Also see get off, def. 8.
7. go off on a tangent. See under on a tangent.
8. go off one's head. See off one's head. Also see subsequent idioms beginning with go off.
See also: go, off

on a tangent

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]
See also: on, tangent
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

go off on a tangent

BRITISH, AMERICAN or

go off at a tangent

BRITISH
1. If a person or piece of writing goes off on a tangent or goes off at a tangent, they start saying or thinking something that is not directly connected with what they were saying or thinking before. Our teacher would occasionally go off on a tangent totally unrelated to the textbook. Note: Other verbs are sometimes used instead of go. The humour is often a little forced and the book's theme wanders off on a tangent now and then.
2. If someone goes off on a tangent or goes off at a tangent, they start to behave in a completely different way from before or to do something completely different from what they were doing before. I suppose I was trying to conform, but then I went off on a tangent, moving to London to study drama. Note: In geometry, a tangent is a straight line which touches a curve at one point but does not cross it.
See also: go, off, on, tangent
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

go/fly off at a ˈtangent

(British English) (American English go off on a ˈtangent) change suddenly from talking or thinking about one thing to talking or thinking about another: One moment the professor is working hard on a problem in physics, the next he’s gone off at a tangent and he’s talking about bees.
A tangent is a straight line that touches the outside of a curve but does not cross it.
See also: fly, go, off, tangent
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

go off

v.
1. To go away: The children all went off to play at the park. Don't go off mad—let me explain!
2. To stop functioning. Used especially of electrical devices: The lights went off suddenly, and the performance began right away.
3. To occur, or be perceived as having occurred, in some particular manner: I think our party went off very well!
4. To adhere to the expected course of events or the expected plan: The project went off smoothly.
5. To stop taking some drug or medication: She went off painkillers a few weeks after the operation.
6. To make a noise; sound: The siren goes off every day at noon.
7. To undergo detonation; explode: If you push this red button, the bomb will go off.
8. go off on To begin to talk extensively about something: He went off on a series of excuses for his bad behavior.
9. go off on To berate someone directly and loudly: My boss really went off on me when she learned that I had forgotten to make the phone call.
See also: go, off
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • (off) on a tangent
  • on a tangent
  • go (off) on a tangent
  • go off at a tangent
  • go off on a tangent
  • (off) on a sidetrack
  • off on a sidetrack
  • sidetrack
  • fly off at a tangent
  • go/fly off at a tangent
References in periodicals archive
Obviously, the arctangent and tangent similarity measures should satisfy the following properties [23]:
Slope Stability Assessment Method Using the Arctangent and Tangent Similarity Measure of Neutrosophic Numbers
3 curves 1-3 are constructed under the assumption: curve 1--with a constant value of tg[delta] of thermosetting composite insulation; 2 and 3--with the power law of change of the tangent of the dielectric loss angle of insulation: 2--at tg[delta] = tg[[delta].sub.0][([f.sub.0]/f).sup.0.2]; 3 - at tg[delta] = tg[[delta].sub.0][([f.sub.0]/f).sup.0.4], where the indices <<0>> correspond to the value at the frequency of 100 Hz.
DIELECTRIC SPECTROSCOPY OF CASING THERMOSETTING COMPOSITE ELECTRICAL INSULATION SYSTEM OF INDUCTION TRACTION ELECTRIC MACHINES
Caption: Figure 1--data from a frequency sweep show the complex viscosity (A) and tangent delta (B) as a function of shear rate for EPDM 1 and EPDM 2; the frequency spectra demonstrate viscoelastic differences between the two materials, despite similar Mooney viscosity specifications
Characterization of rubber polymers and compounds
is the asymptotic second-order tangent cone to D at (x,v).
Second-Order Necessary Conditions for Set Constrained Nonsmooth Optimization Problems via Second-Order Projective Tangent Cones
Bidco has therefore received valid acceptances of the offer in respect of, or has acquired, 241,715,774 Tangent Shares, representing approximately 85.89% of the shares to which the Increased Offer relates.
Tangent Communications Proceeds with Management Buyout
The amplification coefficient g controls the output range of the hyperbolic tangent. If g =1, then activation function is linear.
FPGA implementation of range addressable activation function for lattice-ladder neuron
where [??] denotes the covariant derivative defined in Definition 3 with X replaced by a tangent vector [gamma]'.
Path Planning and Replanning for Mobile Robot Navigation on 3D Terrain: An Approach Based on Geodesic
The purpose of this section is to study S tangent surfaces of timelike biharmonic S-curve in the Lorentzian Heisenberg group [Heis.sup.3].
One parameter family of S-tangent surfaces/Uma familia de parametros de superficies tangenciais em S
The angle of tangent inclination in each point of the contour
Theoretical basis of the principle of roundness ensuring under centreless machining of large capacity parts
* if G contains the tangent subgraph [R.sub.6] = [R.sup.1.sub.u], then G' is obtained from G by deleting V ([R.sub.6])\\{u}.
Uniquely monopolar-partitionable block graphs
It remains to prove that the straight line MN is a tangent to the circle.
More on geometrical constructions of a tangent to a circle with a straightedge only
When the grid line is tangent to the semicircle of the trajectory of the Debye relaxation, the peak in the modulus spectrum is found at the tangent point.
Graphical conversion between compliance and modulus, permittivity and electric modulus, and impedance and admittance
If [gamma]'(s) exists, then Area([OMEGA] [intersection] D([gamma](s), r)) is approximated arbitrarily well for sufficiently small r by replacing [partial derivative][OMEGA] with its tangent line (which gives us an area of exactly [pi][r.sup.2]/2).
Nonasymptotic densities for shape reconstruction
Eight members of the Aldridge Tangent Club - a social networking organisation for former Ladies' Circle members aged over 45 - will compete in the women-only nighttime walk in Aldridge's historic centre on Saturday, September 14 to raise funds for the leading local charity.
LADIES' NIGHT-TIME WALK FOR HOSPICE; Businesses POST CONTACT JON GRIFFIN AT JON.GRIFFIN@TRINITYMIRROR.COM THRIVE supporting the PEOPLE community
Broker Bill Newland, who represented MBM Group, said Old Dominion Freight Line plans to build a cross-dock truck terminal in Coburg and to relocate its operations there from its terminal in Tangent.
Trucker plans Coburg move