jump the track

Idioms  

1. Suddenly switch from one thought or activity to another. For example, Joe was describing his trip to Australia and, jumping the track, began complaining about the airline, or They couldn't decide on the next step and now the whole reorganization plan has jumped the track. This expression alludes to a train going off the rails. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

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Example Sentences

Brissett has settled in after an emotional, shaky opener at Carolina, an outing that had Browns fans worried this season might jump the track.

From Seattle Times

Appearing before an investigating judge in Santiago de Compostela, conductor Francisco José Garzón Amo confessed that a “distraction” led him to enter the tight curve at an excessively high speed, causing the train to jump the track and slam into a concrete retaining wall.

From Time

Then when we jump the track and try to be more independent, more purist, less tied to the establishment, we start getting our propane gas turned off.

From Salon

I did think you might jump the track once in a while, though.

From Project Gutenberg

I bow humbly to your practiced use of almost an industrial idiom, but, never did I expect you to jump the track when confronted with a commuter electric line like the C.A.

From Time Magazine Archive