all over the place

English

Alternative forms

• all over the board
• all over the shop

Adjective

all over the place (comparative more all over the place, superlative most all over the place)

1. (idiomatic) Inconsistent; lacking a clear pattern; with a large amount of variation.

   I asked each person in turn, and their answers were all over the place.

Synonyms

• random
• scattershot

Translations

lacking a clear pattern

• Finnish: sitä sun tätä, mitä sattuu, milloin mitäkin, kaikkea mahdollista maan ja taivaan väliltä

Adverb

all over the place (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) Using the available space thoroughly or completely.

   I took a big piece of paper and then just painted flowers all over the place.

2. (idiomatic) In multiple directions, sometimes in a random or near random pattern.

   They started firing all over the place.

3. Everywhere.

   In Genoa there are stray cats all over the place.

   I poured a big glass of milk but then it spilled all over the place.

Translations

using available space thoroughly

• Finnish: joka paikkaan, joka puolelle, kaikkialle (fi); joka paikassa, joka puolella; kaikkialla (fi)

• Portuguese: em todo lugar, em todos os lugares

in multiple directions

• Finnish: kaikkialle (fi), joka paikkaan, joka puolelle

• Portuguese: por todo lado

everywhere

• Finnish: kaikkialla (fi), joka paikassa, joka puolella; kaikkialle (fi), joka paikkkaan, joka puolelle

• Portuguese: por todo lado

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} querbeet, ^{(please verify)} überall (de)
• Bislama: ^{(please verify)} olbaot
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} ovunque (it), ^{(please verify)} dovunque (it), ^{(please verify)} a dritta e a manca, ^{(please verify)} dappertutto (it)

• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} her tarafta, ^{(please verify)} her yerde
• Vurës: ^{(please verify)} atalē
• Walloon: ^{(please verify)} totavå (wa), ^{(please verify)} pattavå (wa)

Prepositional phrase

all over the place

1. (literally) Covering a location thoroughly or completely.

   When the house caught on fire the firemen came and sprayed water all over the place.

2. (idiomatic) At multiple locations in the vicinity.

   I've been looking for you all over the place.

   When we got to the amusement park we went all over the place.

   The cart fell over and there were apples all over the place.

3. (idiomatic) In multiple directions, sometimes in a random or near random pattern.

   They started firing all over the place.

4. (idiomatic) Lacking a clear pattern; with a large amount of variation.

   I asked each person in turn, and their answers were all over the place.

Translations

covering a location

• Finnish: joka paikkaan, joka puolelle, kaikkialle (fi); joka paikassa, joka puolella; kaikkialla (fi)

• Portuguese: em todo lugar, em todos os lugares

at multiple locations in the vicinity

• Finnish: joka paikasta, joka puolelta; kaikkialta (fi); joka paikkaan, joka puolelle, kaikkialle (fi); joka paikassa, joka puolella; kaikkialla (fi)

• Portuguese: por todo lado

in multiple directions

• Finnish: joka paikkaan, joka puolelle, kaikkialle (fi)

• Portuguese: por todo lado

lacking a clear pattern

• Finnish: sitä sun tätä, mitä sattuu, milloin mitäkin, kaikkea mahdollista maan ja taivaan väliltä

• Spanish: desperdigado (es), (sin) patrón (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Bislama: ^{(please verify)} olbaot
• German: ^{(please verify)} querbeet, ^{(please verify)} überall (de)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} ovunque (it), ^{(please verify)} dovunque (it), ^{(please verify)} a dritta e a manca, ^{(please verify)} dappertutto (it)
• Russian: ^{(please verify)} повсю́ду (povsjúdu)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} desperdigado

• Thai: ทุกทิศทุกทาง ไม่มีเป้าหมาย
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} her tarafta, ^{(please verify)} her yerde
• Vurës: ^{(please verify)} atalē
• Walloon: ^{(please verify)} totavå (wa), ^{(please verify)} pattavå (wa)

Synonyms

• (covering a location thoroughly): everywhere
• (at multiple locations):
• (lacking a clear pattern): at random

Related terms

• all over the map
• all over the shop