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In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting and useful idiom.
在这一集中，我将教你一个有趣且实用的习语。
And that idiom is "all over the map." All over the map. That's all: a-l-l, over: o-v-e-r, the: t-h-e, map: m-a-p. "All over the map."
这个习语就是“all over the map”。
What does it mean when we describe something as all over the map? There is a literal meaning to this expression, and that is "covering a wide area."
当我们将某物描述为all over the map时，这是什么意思？这个表达有一个字面意思，那就是“覆盖广阔的区域”。
Imagine something that covers a wide area on a map. That thing is all over the map. It spreads across the map.
想象一下覆盖地图上广阔区域的东西。那个东西遍布地图。
In other words, it happens over a wide area. But that's not usually how we use the expression "all over the map."
换句话说，it happens over a wide area。但这不是我们通常使用“all over the map”这个表达的方式。
Usually, when we describe something or someone as all over the map, we are saying that this thing or person is not focused.
通常，当我们将某物或某人描述为all over the map时，我们是说这个物或人没有重点。
It is not focused in one place or focused on one subject. Instead, it is more general or less organized. Less focused.
它没有集中在一个地方或集中在一个主题上。相反，它更笼统或更没有组织。不太集中。
Let me give you an example of a situation where we might use the expression "all over the map."
让我举个例子，说明我们可能会使用“all over the map”这个表达方式的情况。
"I think that politician is very smart, but during the interview, he was all over the map." I think that politician is very smart, but during the interview, he was all over the map.
“I think that politician is very smart, but during the interview, he was all over the map.”我认为那个政客非常聪明，但在采访过程中，他却说得一头雾水。
What does that mean? Why would we say that a politician is all over the map? What does that mean?
这是什么意思？为什么我们会说政客说得一头雾水？这是什么意思？
That means that instead of giving very focused answers or concentrating on one topic or one subject,
这意味着，这位政客没有给出非常有针对性的答案或专注于一个话题或一个主题，
this politician was covering all kinds of different subjects, and maybe as a result of that seemed unfocused or disorganized.
而是涵盖了各种不同的主题，也许因此看起来不集中或杂乱无章。
Maybe this politician was not very good at sticking to one point or making one good argument.
也许这位政客不太擅长坚持一个观点或提出一个好的论点。
Instead, they talked about all kinds of different things in a way that felt disorganized.
相反，他们谈论各种不同的事情，让人感觉杂乱无章。
That's the kind of thing we often mean when we use the expression "all over the map."
这就是我们使用“all over the map”这个表达方式时经常指的那种东西。
We mean that something is not focused. Instead, it seems disorganized or like it is talking about too many different things.
我们的意思是某件事没有重点。相反，它看起来杂乱无章，或者像是在谈论太多不同的事情。
You can describe a person as all over the map. You could describe an argument as all over the map.
你可以用all over the map来形容一个人。你可以用all over the map来形容一个论点。
You could describe a story as all over the map. I think "all over the map" can work with all of those kinds of things.
你可以用all over the map来形容一个故事。我认为“all over the map”可以适用于所有这些事情。
And that is "all over the map," an interesting and useful idiom that I think you should know.
以上就是“all over the map”的用法，一个有趣且有用的习语，我认为你应该知道。
