change the subject
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change the subject
To introduce a different topic of discussion, usually intentionally. I changed the subject after that last remark made Jeff and Bill visibly tense. Don't try to change the subject—I know one of you kids dented my car!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
change the subject
to begin talking about something different. They changed the subject suddenly when the person whom they had been discussing entered the room. We'll change the subject if we are embarrassing you.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
change the subject
Deliberately talk about another topic, as in If someone asks you an embarrassing question, just change the subject. This term uses subject in the sense of "a topic of conversation," a usage dating from the late 1500s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
change the ˈsubject
start to talk about something different, especially because what was being discussed was embarrassing or difficult to talk about: I don’t like talking about the war. Can’t we change the subject?Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017