all over the map

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

all over the map

1. (idiomatic) Widely scattered or distributed; numerous and differing greatly.
   • 1985 October 28, Jon Pareles, “Music: Ruben Blades's Salsa”, in New York Times:

     The Kip Hanrahan Band, which opened the concert, is after its own ambitious American-Latin fusion, with internationalist rhythms, introspective lyrics and musicians from all over the map.

   • 2008 August 9, “A Financial Earthquake”, in Newsweek:

     The reactions were swift, impassioned and all over the map.

   • 2009, Pauline Frommer, Pauline Frommer's Las Vegas‎^[1], →ISBN, page 58:

     Prices are even more all over the map than usual here; I've seen them range from just $36 all the way up to $160...

2. (idiomatic) In widely scattered directions; in a widely varying manner.
   • 2008 August 13, Scott Petrak, “Browns notes: PGA contender”, in The Chronicle, Ohio: Telegram, retrieved 13 August 2008:

     “I hit it all over the map,” Anderson joked.

See also

• all over
• all over the board
• all over the place
• all over the shop