ride off on a side issue

[ostap77]

Did you ever use or hear other people use the expression "to ride off on a side issue" in conversation?

 

[Rover_KE]

No.

 

[emsr2d2]

No.

 

[bhaisahab]

No.

 

[Rover_KE]

Where have you heard it, ostap?

 

[ostap77]

I haven't heard it. I came across it in a dictionary. I just wanted to know if it's actually used in speech.

 

[emsr2d2]

Which dictionary was it in? Which word were you looking up when you found it?

 

[ostap77]

I was looking for the word 'issue'. I found it in a English-Russian phrase book published in Moscow, which was the reason why I wanted to find out if it's widely used in conversation. Based on your answer, I figure it might be rarely used or could've been "invented" by the author.

 

[emsr2d2]

... I figure it might be rearly used ...

You mean "rarely used". I think the author invented it or they had heard it once and decided to put it in the phrase book. Given the answers you have had on this thread, I think you now know that it's not a recognised phrase.

 

[ostap77]

I appreciate you correcting me.:up: According to the phrase book it's supposed to mean something like "to get off track and start talking about an unimportant thing".

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

As a Russian guy, I'd suggest you avoid English-Russian dictionaries :-D

 

[ostap77]

In fact,I usually do. It's just that I happen to skim through them out of curiosity.

 

[Tdol]

I haven't heard it either, but I do think it's a good phrase.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I've never heard it, but the meaning is clear.

 

[ostap77]

Does it mean something like "to get off track and start talking about an unimportant thing"?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Well, whether it is "unimportant" is an opinion. I would say a different thing.

 

[ostap77]

Would it make sense to you, if I said "to ride somebody off on a side issue"?

 

[emsr2d2]

No.