"Untracked"

I see this everywhere in quotes and columns, even in Top-10 newspapers, talking about how teams need to get "untracked" if they're on a long losing streak. My immediate thought is always how wrong this is.

Not to use a cliche, but if a team gets "back on track," that's a good thing. And if a train falls off the track i.e., goes "untracked," that's a very bad thing.

So why is "untracked" used so frequently?

 

i always wondered about that too, wally.

i used "get on track" if i was ever forced to use that cliche.

 

Since I can't explain what it means, I never use it.

Same goes for the following:

nonetheless
nevertheless
by and large

 

un‧tracked  /ʌnˈtrækt/ –adjective
1. that is not or cannot be tracked or traced: untracked marauders of the jungle.
2. Informal. achieving a superior level of performance after a slow start: The team suddenly got untracked and began to score.

 

It comes from people misunderstanding the phrase "on track."
It's like when people say, "I could care less." They mean, "I couldn't care less."

 

That annoys me. I make a point of saying "couldn't" because it drives me mad when people don't say it.

 

What about "irregardless?"

 

I think teams often get untracked when they plate some runs.

 

Thank you for this. I was going to respond with something very sarcastic. You handled it much better than I. Normally I could care less ( ;D) about this stuff, but the untracked/on track question bothers me for some reason.

 

Is that gonna get ya back?

 

I recall Gunnery Sargent Hartman telling Private Pyle that he'd best "unfuck" himself, if that's similar.