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. back to the drawing board
   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.

More idioms and phrases containing drawing board

see back to the drawing board .

Example Sentences

The tight budget for the projects, he said, sometimes sent them back to the drawing board, allowed them to think out of the box and led to new innovations.

From BBC

Environmentalists hope to see limits put on off-road recreation while the agency goes back to the drawing board.

From Los Angeles Times

“I urge you to go back to the drawing board.”

From Los Angeles Times

He draws the fundamentals of the car layout on his fabled drawing board, analyses reports, sits in some meetings, and contributes and asks questions and guides where he feels it is needed.

From BBC

Miller, on the other hand, is going back to the drawing board.

From Los Angeles Times