right tack/track, to take/on the

on the right track

Progressing in a way that is likely to succeed. I think we're really on the right track with this new environmental initiative. After all of those failed experiments, our team is finally on the right track now.See also: on, right, track

on the right track

 1. Lit. following the right track or trail; riding on the correct track, as with a train. The train was on the right track when it left the station. I can't imagine how it got lost. 2. Fig. following the right set of assumptions. Tom is on the right track and will solve the mystery soon. You are on the right track to find the answer.See also: on, right, track

on the right track

COMMON If someone or something is on the right track, they are acting or developing in a way that is likely to be successful. We are finding that guests for lunch and dinner are returning in increasing numbers — a sure sign that we are on the right track. We have taken action to put the industry back on the right track. Compare with on the right lines.See also: on, right, track

right tack/track, to take/on the

To take or be on the correct course of action or reasoning. The first expression refers to the tack of a sailing ship— that is, its course when it is tacking (steering in zigzag fashion when sailing to windward). The word “tack” was being transferred to a course of action by 1675. The second term, which dates from about 1880, alludes to the direction of a path. Both have antonyms—on the wrong tack or track—denoting a mistaken course of action or reasoning.See also: on, right, tack, take