off the rails

Idioms  

1. In an abnormal or malfunctioning condition, as in Her political campaign has been off the rails for months. The phrase occurs commonly with go, as in Once the superintendent resigned, the effort to reform the school system went off the rails. This idiom alludes to the rails on which trains run; if a train goes off the rails, it stops or crashes. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

In mitigation, David Mason KC said the "hardened criminal" had "completely gone off the rails and got himself in a terrible, terrible situation".

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

“Things haven’t gone off the rails yet. The market is bending, but it isn’t breaking,” Mike Thompson said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

But now on her independently produced show, she has truly gone off the rails.

From Slate • Feb. 27, 2026

No political system is perfect, and Congress can run off the rails.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Maybe it went off the rails somewhere, though, because now Morgan’s putting the keyboard away and Anna’s texting her mom to pick her up.

From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli