déraper

to skid, to slide

verb deh-rah-PEH Rare

Origin: French dé- + raper 'to grate, to scrape'

Also means

to get out of hand

Usage Note

Déraper literally means for a vehicle to skid on a slippery surface. Figuratively it means for a situation, conversation, or person to go off the rails or get out of control — la discussion a dérapé ('the discussion got out of hand'). The noun dérapage is used in both senses, including dérapage budgétaire (budget overrun).

Examples

"La voiture a dérapé sur la glace."

Natural Translation

The car skidded on the ice.

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