tangent off

present singular third person tangents off · participle present tangenting off · participle past tangented off · past tangented off

1. informalintransitiveuncommonSynonym of fly off at a tangent (“to digress from a topic”).

   Well don't tangent off and focus on that little piece.

   2001 December 12, Tony, “C++ being crushed by its own weight?”, in comp.lang.c++ (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   Tangenting off... did not someone write an SF novel/story some years back about the social consequences when people were fitted with visible arousal indicators?

   1992 May 28, the Crisco Kid, “Suitably bi t-shirt...”, in soc.bi (Usenet)

   Once again, you've avoided directly answering the question. The passage in Job has *absolutely nothing* to do with the topic at hand--would you please try to stay focused on this point instead of tangenting off as you did with the "Peter born-again walking on water" issue?

   1998 April 5, RiCHaRD HaRLoS, “KeithK & Heb. 6:4-6”, in alt.christnet.public (Usenet)

   Synonyms: fly off at a tangent

2. informaltransitiveuncommonTo digress from (a topic).

   Note how he tangents off the true topic.

   2006 December 15, [Ludovic Mirabel] <elmir2m@shaw.ca>, “Better Than ABX?”, in rec.audio.opinion (Usenet)

   3 more examples

   Tangenting off this, for a few years a local strip mall had a rather interesting pairing of stores next to each other.

   2003 September 17, Brent Keith, “Short forms that remind you of something else.”, in alt.callahans (Usenet)

   To an extent... We have tangented off the path so far that no one cares any more.

   2004 April 23, Jonathan, “Forcing Theaters to Provide Captions for the Deaf”, in alt.tv.the-west-wing (Usenet)

   but i don't see how just because the topic has tangented off one of your responses it's somehow inappropriate; i suspect that others browsing/lurking might find the content enlightening.

   2005 February 17, barry, “Gari...How would I know?”, in alt.food.sushi (Usenet)

3. informalraretransitiveTo digress from (a place).

   Flying out, I noticed the ghost route (just the supports) tangented off the airport route.

   2001 October 23, Mark F, “Road notes from a trip to Asia”, in misc.transport.road (Usenet)

   2 more examples

   After numerous laps at steadily freshening velocity, a sudden undertow developed on a 70 m.p.h. curve, the car went tangenting off the hard, plumb between two close-parked bulldozers, and finished up overhanging a 6-ft. drop, its front wheels firmly planted in mid-air.

   1948, The Motor, London: Temple Press, →OCLC, page 300, column 2

   The slide mark begins just before the apex, essentially tangenting off the turn into the dirt.

   2003 October 7, Daniel Bannon, “I don't like Oregon (long)”, in alt.motorcycle.sportbike (Usenet)