go walkabout

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

go walkabout (third-person singular simple present goes walkabout, present participle going walkabout, simple past went walkabout, past participle gone walkabout)

1. (UK, Australia, colloquial, of an object) To go missing from its usual place; to be lost or stolen.

   Synonym: go walkies

   The paper shredder seems to have gone walkabout.

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see go,‎ walkabout.
   • 1995, Nigel Taylor, A vet called Nigel, page 58:

     You could almost hear him shout 'Geronimo'. It was bound to end in tears. Sure enough when his owner had let him go walkabout on the kitchen table he had taken his chance, raced for the edge, and made his own giant leap for hamsterkind.

See also

• AWOL