every which way

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

every which way (not comparable)

1. All over; in every direction.

   The kids got to the park and ran every which way.

   • 1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, “The Dainty China Country”, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill., New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M. Hill Co., →OCLC, page 232:

     Indeed, a jolly little Clown now came walking toward them, and Dorothy could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and yellow and green he was completely covered with cracks, running every which way and showing plainly that he had been mended in many places.

   • 1968 October 12, Paul Zindel, chapter 14, in The Pigman:

     I looked at John crumpled and twisted in the corner, the roller skates pointing every which way.

2. In all sorts of ways or manners.

   Synonym: any old how

   You can't keep doing it every which way if you want a consistent result.

• any which way
• every which where