tangent off

Verb

tangent off (third-person singular simple present tangents off, present participle tangenting off, simple past and past participle tangented off)

1. (informal, intransitive, uncommon) Synonym of fly off at a tangent (“to digress from a topic”).
   • 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. (informal, transitive, uncommon) To digress from (a topic).
   • 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)
3. (informal, rare, transitive) To digress from (a place).
   • 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
   • 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)