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

All three have espoused unorthodox economic views, such as across-the-board tariffs that critics say would start trade wars and hurt American workers.

From Salon

He has vowed, at various points, to impose an across-the-board tax of 10% or 20% on all goods entering the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Not since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which by the consensus of historians and economists exacerbated the Great Depression, has a presidential aspirant proposed such high across-the-board tariffs on imports as Trump does.

From Los Angeles Times

Schiff said he doesn’t support Trump’s “across-the-board tariffs,” which he said would lead to higher prices for consumers.

From Los Angeles Times

Likewise, many claim he won’t actually impose massive, across-the-board tariffs or prosecute his political enemies in pursuit of “retribution.”

From Los Angeles Times