For abstract times gone by though right? I've never heard it used to mean specifically 'last year'. (And in fact typically much more than just one year ago, not including it.)
I stopped making assumptions about what terms people see as abstract and which they see as concrete when I found out not everyone understands a few as three.
If I send you to the shop for a few beers, you've got to return with a concrete number. Maybe 4 cans, because that's how they're sold, or maybe 3 bottles because there was a 3 for £5 deal. Or maybe you come back with a whole case because it caught your eye, and I say Woah hey you got several!
I daresay the statistics still favour one side or the other though for most words, even if it's not a whitewash (I also view yesteryear as an abstract time in the past, for instance).
