The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 7 letter word LOOSE CANNONS
L
O
O
S
E
C
A
N
N
O
N
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "they could go off anywhere" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case they could go off anywhere = loose cannons.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.