Drawing board
a rectangular board on which paper is placed or mounted for drawing or drafting.
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.
on the drawing board, in the planning or design stage:
The shopping center is still on the drawing board.
Contemporary Examples
“I really have to go back to the drawing board,” she admitted.
Why Serena Williams Lost—and How She Can Win Again Nicholas McCarvel June 30, 2013
From where I sit—at a drawing board—Conan is one of the most fascinating people around, and a truly great subject for caricature.
Conan Was My Muse John Kascht June 22, 2011
But in seven months, the team took the Spire from the drawing board to a real-world test in Albany, New York.
Font of Invention September 17, 2014
“Back to the drawing board and what a circus we will have to watch,” Stephens said.
Meet the Hollywood Power Couple Who Bet Big on the Midterms—and Lost Asawin Suebsaeng November 5, 2014
Designer royal baby items are on the (literal) drawing board, thanks to Karl Lagerfeld, Dior, Vera Wang, and more.
The Average American Bra Size Is Now 34 DD; Designers Sketch Regal Royal Baby Presents The Fashion Beast Team July 22, 2013
Historical Examples
He had spent half an hour sharpening his, and had hugged his drawing board.
Ewing\’s Lady Harry Leon Wilson
It was the same when he turned from drawing board to typewriter.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930 Various
Each of the two inventors had his own drawing board, designed to swing out from the wall at the press of a button.
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X Victor Appleton
From her shadowed couch she scanned his face as he bent over the drawing board.
Ewing\’s Lady Harry Leon Wilson
Paper placed under each joint prevented the frame from being stuck to the drawing board by the glue forced out by the pressure.
Carpentry and Woodwork Edwin W. Foster
noun
a smooth flat rectangular board on which paper, canvas, etc, is placed for making drawings
back to the drawing board, return to an earlier stage in an enterprise because a planned undertaking has failed
see: back to the drawing board
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