lose the thread
Cease to follow the sense of what is said. For example, It was such a long story that I soon lost the thread. This expression uses thread in the sense of “something that connects the various points of a narrative.” [Mid-1900s]
Words nearby lose the thread
lose one's touch, lose oneself in, lose out, lose sight of, lose sleep over, lose the thread, lose time, lose touch, lose track, losel, loser
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.