A way on a beam and off the proper track (6)
I believe the answer is:
astray
'off the proper track' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.
'a way on a beam' is the wordplay.
'a way' becomes 'st' (abbreviation for street).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'beam' becomes 'ray' (synonyms).
'st' after 'a' is 'ast'.
'ast'+'ray'='ASTRAY'
'and' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for astray that I've seen before include "Wandering off the track" , "Off course - wrong - misled" , "Off the right track" , "Off target" , "in the wrong place" .)