across-the-board

[ uh-kraws-thuh-bawrd, -bohrd, uh-kros- ]

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.

across-the-board

adjective

1. (of salary increases, taxation cuts, etc) affecting all levels or classes equally
2. horse racing the US term for each way

Word History and Origins

Origin of across-the-board¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

And in this era of impact-blind, across-the-board budget cuts, we see an opportunity.

From The Daily Beast

Some of them, like an across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods, might actually work.

From The Daily Beast

There needs to be an across-the-board, consistent defense of the constitutional separation of powers.

From The Daily Beast

Right now, the biggest races are still toss-ups, with polls showing see-sawing leads across-the-board.

From The Daily Beast

An aura of impotence has consumed the government, as deep, across-the-board cuts everyone says they oppose set in.

From The Daily Beast

Together, we passed the first across-the-board tax reduction for everyone since the Kennedy tax cuts.

From Project Gutenberg