What are some words or phrases that can be used when a person is discussing a particular subject with a group of people and unintentionally she/he talks about something unrelated? I need a formal expression.
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1The usual expression is 'beside the point', but if someone is being evasive we might complain that they're 'going off the point'. – Barrie England Mar 26 '12 at 18:28
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possible duplicate of What is a word that means "to railroad the conversation"? – FumbleFingers Mar 26 '12 at 19:43
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going down a rabbit trail – zpletan Mar 28 '12 at 03:25
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Here are a few ways of expressing that, from casual to more formal:
- Going off-topic
- Getting off track
- Rambling or not getting to the point
- Losing focus
- Digressing
- Tangential to the discussion
- Not relevant to the topic at hand
- Diverting the conversation
- Subject is not pertinent to the conversation
Ellie Kesselman
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One might also say "on a side note..." or related to "tangential to the discussion" but less formal "(going) off on a tangent" – TecBrat Aug 23 '12 at 16:47
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The expression you need is "That's beside the point". Alternatively you can also say "That's irrelevant."
Irene
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I'm fond of going off-topic. You could also say that they are going off on a tangent or speaking tangentially.
cornbread ninja 麵包忍者
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1"Fond of going off-topic." - good you don't ask many questions here then :P – Daniel Mar 26 '12 at 18:45
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@cornbreadninja Oooo shiny! But that isn't formal ;o) I liked the turtle. – Ellie Kesselman Aug 27 '12 at 05:59
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Funny no one has mentioned this yet. I thought I might as well include this. It's "sidetrack" :
To divert from a main issue or course:
Bidella
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