across-the-board

American  

[uh-kraws-thuh-bawrd, -bohrd, uh-kros-] / əˈkrɔs ðəˈbɔrd, -ˈboʊrd, əˈkrɒs- /

adjective

1. applying to all employees, members, groups, or categories; general.

   The across-the-board pay increase means a raise for all employees.

2. (of a bet) covering all possibilities of winning on a given result, especially by placing a combination bet on one horse in a race for win, place, and show.

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across-the-board British  

adjective

1. (of salary increases, taxation cuts, etc) affecting all levels or classes equally

2. horse racing the US term for each way

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across the board Idioms  

1. Applying to all the individuals in a group, as in They promised us an across-the-board tax cut, that is, one applying to all taxpayers, regardless of income. This expression comes from horse racing, where it refers to a bet that covers all possible ways of winning money on a race: win (first), place (second), or show (third). The board here is the notice-board on which the races and betting odds are listed. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

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Etymology

Origin of across-the-board

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

The leading cause of this slowdown, and population declines elsewhere, was an across-the-board drop in immigration to the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

By coincidence, a threatened 15% across-the-board tariff isn’t terribly different, in average rate, from the potpourri of tariffs in effect before the Supreme Court decision.

From The Wall Street Journal

The move to an across-the-board tariff of 10%, with carve-outs for some kinds of goods, had already reset the competitive landscape, putting shipments from all countries on even footing.

From BBC

And raising enough to replace the income tax would require across-the-board tariffs of about 80% on all imports, it added.

From Barron's

The president said he would instead impose an across-the-board 10% tariff on imports on global trade partners through an executive order.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• sweeping