go off the reservation
The phrase "go off the reservation" originally referred to Native Americans leaving their designated areas but has since evolved into a metaphor for acting independently or disruptively.
Definition
C1General
(informal, figurative)To act independently or disruptively, deviating from the expected norms or rules.
Example
- She went off the reservation during the meeting and proposed a completely new strategy.
- When he started making decisions without consulting the team, it was clear he had gone off the reservation.
C1Politics
(informal, figurative)To break with one's political party or group, often temporarily.
Example
- The senator went off the reservation by voting against his party's proposal.
- In a surprising move, she went off the reservation and supported the opposition's bill.
C1Workplace
(informal, figurative)To act independently or engage in unauthorized behavior, often against management's approval.
Example
- He went off the reservation by implementing changes without approval from his manager.
- The employee was reprimanded for going off the reservation and altering the project timeline.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "go off the reservation":
off the reservationgo offgo rogueoff the railsbreak ranksrun off ongo overboardgob offgo wildfly the coopgo ballisticcut loosebreak awaygo off the boilgo bonkerskick over the tracesoff the trackgo mentalrun offgo astrayjump offhop offwild outstep offfly offgo back ongo awrythrow offtrip outwalk offgo bananashead offgo nutslet loose