all over the shop
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Scattered in every direc- tion, all over the place ; or pursuing an erratic course.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “all over the shop” mean?
Scattered in every direc- tion, all over the place ; or pursuing an erratic course.
Is “all over the shop” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.