drawing board

noun

1. a rectangular board on which paper is placed or mounted for drawing or drafting.

drawing board

noun

1. a smooth flat rectangular board on which paper, canvas, etc, is placed for making drawings

2. return to an earlier stage in an enterprise because a planned undertaking has failed

Word History and Origins

Origin of drawing board¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. back to the drawing board, back to the original or an earlier stage of planning or development.

   Our plan didn't work out, so it's back to the drawing board.

2. on the drawing board, in the planning or design stage.

   The shopping center is still on the drawing board.

see back to the drawing board.

Example Sentences

“There needs to be a standard and we need to execute and if we don’t execute, we go back to the drawing board, we work on those things, we get better and we execute.”

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"Strong businesses with clear fundamentals are going public, while some start-ups go back to the drawing board and reassess the future."

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"Ofcom needs to go back to the drawing board and bring forward plans to stamp out mid-contract price rises once and for all."

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"The final will be amazing whoever we play. We will celebrate this tonight and go back to the drawing board tomorrow."

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“We go back to the drawing board every week with him,” pitching coach Mark Prior said at the time.

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