Hence, fig., to divert or reduce to a position or condition that is relatively secondary or subordinate in activity, importance, effectiveness, or the like; to switch off; to turn aside, as from a purpose.
v: to use a whipstock, turbodrill, or other mud motor to drill around the original planned path of the well.
To drill a secondary wellbore away from an original wellbore. A sidetracking operation may be done intentionally or may occur accidentally. Intentional sidetracks might bypass an unusable section of the original wellbore or explore a geologic feature nearby. In the bypass case, the secondary wellbore is usually drilled substantially parallel to the original well, which may be inaccessible due to an irretrievable fish, junk in the hole, or a collapsed wellbore.