branch off vs lose the thread

branch off

verb
  • To divert from the main topic of conversation. 

  • To diverge into two or more separate paths. 

  • To separate from a main path or route. 

lose the thread

verb
  • To get distracted and lose track of something (one's train of thought, a conversation). 

How often have the words branch off and lose the thread occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )