to go off the beaten path

[The Phoenix]

does it mean to do something crazy & unusual ?

for example can i say :
driving that fast was going off the beaten path

or does it mean more doing something new ?

ex :
i decided to go off the beaten path and to go camping ( or go hiking ... etc )


please give me an example

[mfwills]

Originally Posted by The Phoenix

does it mean to do something crazy & unusual ?

for example can i say :
driving that fast was going off the beaten path

or does it mean more doing something new ?

ex :
i decided to go off the beaten path and to go camping ( or go hiking ... etc )


please give me an example

It means simply to do something in a different fashion, the "beaten path" being the way a majority of people (perhaps including the speaker) have previously accomplished a task or reached a goal.

The comparison is to following a footpath from one point to another, but the meaning is construed as anything other than that comparison.

I don't know that I would refer to driving too fast as going off the beaten path. There have been stories recently about people using creative methods of finding a job, such as putting up a billboard to advertise themselves. Compared to the traditional process of sending a resume to a potential employer, a billboard is certainly off the beaten path.

[wace]

THE BEATEN PATH is a reference to a specific route that people usually take. An example would be that tourists who come to Italy will always visit Rome, Florence and Venice, but rarely will they go to Bologna or Ravenna.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK is another idiom which refers to a place that's difficult to get to, away from main roads.
Ex. I know of an unspoiled old pub off the beaten track in the wilds of Essex.'

Hope this helps.

[The Phoenix]

thanks alot for your efforts

[The Phoenix]

i have another question :
does " have a flat tire " have another meaning but it's literaly meaning "

i ask you about that because i found this saying and it's beyond me to understand it

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

does it just mean that you will repeat the Alibi ?!

[bhaisahab]

Originally Posted by The Phoenix

i have another question :
does " have a flat tire " have another meaning but it's literaly meaning "

i ask you about that because i found this saying and it's beyond me to understand it

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

does it just mean that you will repeat the Alibi ?!

It has it's literal meaning. It means that if you excuse your lateness by pretending to have had a flat tyre, the next morning you will really have one.

[Searching for language]

Originally Posted by bhaisahab

It has it's literal meaning. It means that if you excuse your lateness by pretending to have had a flat tyre, the next morning you will really have one.

There's a similar expression in German "Don't draw the devil on the wall."

[Ouisch]

Originally Posted by The Phoenix

i have another question :
does " have a flat tire " have another meaning but it's literaly meaning "

i ask you about that because i found this saying and it's beyond me to understand it

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

does it just mean that you will repeat the Alibi ?!

It means that Fate or whatever will punish you for lying. If you lie to your boss about being late and use a flat tire as an excuse, then you will have a flat tire very soon at a most inopportune time. Likewise, a lot of folks are superstitious and think that if you tell a lie to get a day off from work by saying "My grandmother died, I have to go to her funeral," then you are cursing Granny and she will die soon and it will be your fault.

[The Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Ouisch

It means that Fate or whatever will punish you for lying. If you lie to your boss about being late and use a flat tire as an excuse, then you will have a flat tire very soon at a most inopportune time. Likewise, a lot of folks are superstitious and think that if you tell a lie to get a day off from work by saying "My grandmother died, I have to go to her funeral," then you are cursing Granny and she will die soon and it will be your fault.

you scared me sis

just kidding
thanks all now it's clear to me , although i am actually a commuter .