What does "go off the beam" mean? It seems this expression can be used in many different contexts. But my dictionary doesn't have this item...
go off the beam
For example,
"Then Chief Quartermaster Cantrell, who was certainly a very intelligent and a very stable individual as a rule, went off the beam that night for a while. .."
(from http://www.bosamar.com/reading/sammyB/sammyb8.html)
"Similarly, futurism, in my mind, went off the beam years back. .."
(from http://www.futurehi.net/archives/000779.html)
"Then Chief Quartermaster Cantrell, who was certainly a very intelligent and a very stable individual as a rule, went off the beam that night for a while. .."
(from http://www.bosamar.com/reading/sammyB/sammyb8.html)
"Similarly, futurism, in my mind, went off the beam years back. .."
(from http://www.futurehi.net/archives/000779.html)
Guess it means the same as "went off the rocker" or "lost its way". Seems pretty easy to figure out from context.