back to the drawing board
Indicates that one must try a different strategy in order to achieve some goal following the failure of a recent attempt.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The plan failed, so we went back to the drawing board.”
“When the client rejected our first design, we had to go back to the drawing board and rethink everything.”
“My cake didn't rise at all, so I'm going back to the drawing board to find a better recipe before the party starts.”
“After months of testing showed the prototype was unsafe, the engineers reluctantly went back to the drawing board to redesign it from scratch.”
first recorded 20th c.
Coined as the caption for a cartoon by Peter Arno in the March 1, 1941, issue of The New Yorker. The illustration depicted a disgruntled engineer, rolls of paper tucked under his arm, walking away from a crashed aircraft while remarking, "Well, back to the old drawing board." The plane had failed; the designs were deemed inadequate; the engineer simply returned to his desk to begin the process again. The phrase entered the language as a standard expression for total failure followed by a necessary return to the initial planning stage.
- 01
all the way to Egery and back
The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.
- 02
back down
To take a less aggressive position in a conflict than one previously had, or has planned to have.
- 03
back forty
The most remote or inaccessible part of any place.
- 04
back gammon player
A person, chiefly a homosexual, who has anal sex.
- 05
back in the game
Having recovered from a disadvantageous position.
- 06
back into
To advance to the post-season as a result of another team's loss, especially where one's own team has also lost.
- 07
back of one's hand
A display of disrespect or scorn.
- 08
back off
To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.
Last updated August 10, 2026