Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
all over the board

all over the board

1 7.4
Very mixed across many parts of something
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : muy variado
  • Beverly, the cost of birth control pills and HT is all over the board (I looked at costs on online prescription places before I posted above to check on prices).

So we are going all over the board today.

Examples

  • The budget estimates for the project were all over the board, making it difficult to determine how much funding would be needed.

  • Plus, his are all over the board.

    Blog text (6)

  • The guy is all over the board on just about everything except tax breaks for the wealthy, including himself.

    Blog text (32)

  • Corn production diesel numbers are all over the board, but it would appear that this amount is sufficient.

    Blog text (22)

  • Looking through the images I have compiled to use here on Artistic Composition, it occurred to me that my creativity isn't necessarily dormant but rather it is all over the board.

    Blog text (22)

  • Feedback from the team was all over the board, ranging from highly positive to extremely critical.

  • Review scores for the restaurant were all over the board, with some patrons loving the food while others found it disappointing.

Synonyms

various
vsall over the board
∞ 1.0

Having many different kinds

focuses on wide inconsistency and impact across all parts not just variety
all over the place
vsall over the board
  • Informal
283 4.8

In a confused, disorganized way with things or thoughts scattered

applies broadly across aspects rather than only meaning chaos
varied
vsall over the board
54 3.3

Containing many different kinds, not all the same

emphasizes inconsistency and affects all elements rather than mere variety
all over the map
vsall over the board
  • Informal
13 7.5

Very mixed and not focused or organized

spreads across all aspects rather than only being unfocused

Antonyms

consistent
92 3.5

Gives similar results each time

How Variable

random
527 3.4
inconsistent
96 4.7
all over the board
  • Informal
1 7.4
mixed
1 1.0
consistent
92 3.5

Surface Forms

all over the board positive

Morphology

all + over + the + board

The constituents 'all' + 'over' easily give a sense of spread or coverage and a learner could infer a notion of something being everywhere; however the use of 'the board' is a metaphorical extension (not literally a physical board) and the specific sense of 'varying widely' or 'inconsistent' is not fully predictable. A B1 learner who knows the words might guess a general meaning of wide distribution but would likely miss the idiomatic nuance of inconsistency without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom all over the board may come from the image of game pieces scattered across a board. When pieces are everywhere on a board and not in order, things look mixed and uneven, so the phrase now means 'varying widely' or 'inconsistent'.