side-track

side·track

[sahyd-trak]
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
1.
to move from the main track to a siding, as a train.
2.
to move or distract from the main subject or course.
noun
3.
any railroad track, other than a siding, auxiliary to the main track.
Origin:
1825–35, Americanism; side1 + track

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
sidetrack (ˈsaɪdˌtræk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb
1.  to distract or be distracted from a main subject or topic
 
—n
2.  (US), (Canadian) a railway siding
3.  the act or an instance of sidetracking; digression

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sidetrack
"railway siding," 1835, from side (adj.) + track (q.v.). The verb meaning "to move (a train car) onto a sidetrack" is from 1880; fig. sense of "to divert from the main purpose" is attested from 1889
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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