Everyday English
go off the rails
become chaotic
To become disorganised or stop happening as planned.
Hear it in real life
Was the party good?
At first, yes, but it went off the rails after midnight.
The meeting went off the rails when people started arguing about money.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: The meeting went off the rail when people started arguing.
Say: The meeting went off the rails when people started arguing.
The idiom uses the plural rails.
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
go off the rails; went off the rails
Your turn: say it out loud
The meeting went off the rails when people started arguing about money.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
go off the rails
become chaotic
“The meeting went off the rails when people started arguing about money.”
heytardy
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