OFF THE RAILS Definition & Meaning

off the rails

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Idioms and Phrases

In an abnormal or malfunctioning condition, as in Her political campaign has been off the rails for months . The phrase occurs commonly with go , as in Once the superintendent resigned, the effort to reform the school system went off the rails . This idiom alludes to the rails on which trains run; if a train goes off the rails, it stops or crashes. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

For someone who has always gone against the grain, and occasionally off the rails, it is hard to imagine what he could do now to diminish his status, however.

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So you’re not gonna find me on a Sunday morning sleeping until 11 because I got off the rails.

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Daddy doesn’t get off the rails anymore.

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There are a lot of reasons why this sketch could have gone off the rails for technical or live TV reasons: for one, it features a real puppy.

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“I Want Blood” seems rife with double meanings and entendres, with titles and lyrics like “Off the Rails” or “Throw Me a Line” that could refer to struggling with desire and substances or seeking salvation.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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off the rails

Idioms and Phrases

Example Sentences