all over the map
13
7.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
disperso
- The feedback we received was all over the map, reflecting varying opinions on the project.
- literally all over the map
- polls are all over the map
- opinions all over the map
So in a very short answer, it's all over the map.
- So in a very short answer, it's all over the map.
- And so, you know, the diagnosis are all over the map.
- You, they're all over the map when it comes to their abilities, their, their, their training.
- Like these moods go from happy to sad to angry, and they just are all over the map.
- My research process is it tries to be thorough, but it's also all over the map and and a lot of it depends on what I'm up for.
- Now, the fact that my team is also all over the map and all over the place comes with certain challenges.
- And what will happen is those corners will be, you know, repurposed and they'll be very different, you know, all over the map.
- And it seems like it's seems like it's all over the map.
- We And then I start feeling like, Oh, well, you know, but it was all over, bouncing all over the map, big broad ideas that were changed on the fly.
Examples
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Last night's final presidential debate showed that Mitt Romney's foreign policy positions are all over the map.
Blog text (22) -
But when you predict things like sea level rise, you get numbers all over the map.
Blog text (5) -
And I see people kind of all over the map with this.
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Now, the fact that my team is also all over the map and all over the place comes with certain challenges.
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We're all over the map here.
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And the context of the discussion is all over the map at this point.
Blog text (20) -
His campaign was in disarray, and his policies were all over the map.
Blog text (11) -
In the past couple of days, he's been all over the map on both "new revenue" and on healthcare.
Blog text (16) -
"We joke about Gov. Romney being all over the map, but it speaks to something important.
Blog text (2) -
You can see the inflation rates were all over the map and you can see that you're going backwards financially.
Synonyms
283
4.8
In a confused, disorganized way with things or thoughts scattered
8
7.3
Not clear or organized, like an explanation with no main idea
3
8.3
Covering many things in a random, unfocused way
2
4.8
Not planned or organized well, causing confusion and delays
1
7.4
Very mixed across many parts of something
Antonyms
How Organized
- US
38
3.1
- Informal
13
7.5
1
3.5
- US
19
2.0
66
4.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes a spatial image ('all' + 'over' + 'map' = scattered across a map), so a learner who knows the words can grasp the basic sense of being spread out. However, the extension to meanings like 'disorganized' or 'inconsistent' is metaphorical and not fully predictable from the literal parts, so prior exposure is typically needed to recognize the idiomatic nuance.
Etymology
All over the map comes from the picture of a real map with pins or marks placed in many spots; the words all and over show the whole map is covered. So when a talk, plan, or feeling is all over the map, it means it is 'disorganized' or has 'no clear focus'.