back to the drawing board
/ˌbæk tə ðə ˈdrɔːɪŋ bɔːd/NEUTRAL · B2
Meaning
starting to plan again after a failure
Examples
- 1The bid was rejected, so it was back to the drawing board for the team.
- 2The prototype cracked in testing, and suddenly it was back to the drawing board.
- 3The tasting panel hated the new recipe, so it was back to the drawing board.
- 4If the council says no on Tuesday, it's back to the drawing board.
- 5The software failed its first test, so the developers are back to the drawing board once more.
Grammar
Nothing inside the phrase changes. It follows it's or the verb go, and the people affected follow for.
Similar in meaning
More idioms about work and careers
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →hit the ground runningto start a new job working well straight awaya safe pair of handssomeone you can trust with an important jobcarry the canto take the blame for something that went wrongpull stringsto use your influence secretly to help someonethe rat racethe exhausting competition of modern working lifekeep your nose to the grindstoneto keep working hard without stopping
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
Here you get a couple of questions. The app gives you 16 practice modes, native equivalents and spaced repetition that tells you when it’s time to refresh.
