adv. (colloquial).—1. Wide of the mark; out of one’s reckoning; perplexed.
1821. The Fancy, I. 255. In the fourth round he came in ALL ABROAD, and got a doubler in the bread-basket.
1837. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Legend of Dover.’ To be ALL ABROAD—to be ‘stumped,’ not to know where To go—so disgraced.
1838. DICKENS, Nicholas Nickleby, vi. 33. I ’m only a little ABROAD, that ’s all. Ibid. (1840), The Old Curiosity Shop, lxi. ‘My friend!’ repeated Kit, ‘you ’re ALL ABROAD, seemingly,’ returned the other man.
1846. THACKERAY, Vanity Fair, v. At the twelfth round the latter champion was ALL ABROAD … had lost all presence of mind, and power of attack or defence.
1876. ARNOLD, Literature and Dogma, 244. The first deals successfully with nearly the whole of life, while the second is all ABROAD in it.
TO COME ABROAD, verb. phr. (Winchester College).—To return to school work after sickness. When on the sick list he is CONTINENT (q.v.): cf. Old English usage = out of one’s house or abode (LANGLAND, UDALL, SHAKESPEARE). Also TO BE FURKED ABROAD = to be sent back to school after going ‘Continent’: an implication of shamming.
