detour
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to make a detour
To make a short detour from a main route or original plan in order to visit a particular place or meet someone.
Auf dem Rückweg vom Urlaub haben wir noch einen Abstecher zu unseren Freunden nach Nürnberg gemacht.
On the way back from vacation, we made a detour to visit our friends in Nuremberg.
'Der Abstecher' (detour) is almost always used in the fixed expression 'einen Abstecher machen' (to make a detour). It describes a planned, short detour.
Lass uns auf dem Heimweg einen Abstecher zum See machen.
Let's make a detour to the lake on the way home.
The word comes from the idea of 'abzustechen' (branching off), meaning to deviate from a straight line or main path. The prefix 'ab-' emphasizes movement away from the original route.
Der kleine Weg sticht hier vom Hauptweg ab.
The small path branches off from the main path here.
The destination of the detour is indicated with the prepositions 'nach' (for places like cities or countries) or 'zu' (for people, specific places, or activities).
Wir machen einen Abstecher nach Hamburg.
We're making a detour to Hamburg.
excursion / digression
An Ausflug is a separate short outing to a destination. An Abstecher, by contrast, is a short detour within another plan, for example on the way home or to an appointment. Use Ausflug for the main destination and Abstecher for an additional visit along the way.
Auf dem Weg zum See machten wir einen Abstecher zu meiner Tante und fuhren danach weiter.
On the way to the lake, we made a detour to visit my aunt and then continued on.
Am Samstag machten wir einen Ausflug zum See und blieben dort bis zum Abend.
On Saturday, we took an excursion to the lake and stayed there until evening.
