1.
side road, side street, byway
A smaller road branching off from the main road.
脇道に入った。
I turned into a side street.
大通りを避けて脇道を歩いた。
I avoided the main street and walked along a side road.
脇道にそれたおかげで素敵なカフェを見つけた。
Thanks to taking a side road, I found a lovely café.
2.
digression, tangent, sidetrack
A departure from the main topic or the primary course of action. Often used with にそれる to describe straying off topic.
話が脇道にそれた。
The conversation went off on a tangent.
脇道にそれずに本題に集中しよう。
Let's focus on the main topic without going off on tangents.
先生の講義はよく脇道にそれるが、それが面白い。
The professor's lectures often go off on tangents, but that's what makes them interesting.
USAGE:
The figurative sense (digression) is very common. The key pattern is 脇道にそれる (to stray off onto a side road / to digress). This expression works both literally (taking a physical detour) and figuratively (going off topic).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 脇道にそれる: to go off on a tangent, to digress
- 脇道に入る: to turn onto a side road
- 脇道を通る: to take a side road