back to the drawing board

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B2

Post

Example

“The design was rejected, so it's back to the drawing board.”

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

sweep the board Neutral · CEFR B2

To win every available prize or category in a competition.

above board Neutral · CEFR C1

honest, legal, and transparent

back to square one Neutral · CEFR B2

to return to the beginning of a task after an attempt has failed

easier said than done Neutral · CEFR B1

Something that sounds simple to do but is actually hard.

for the time being Neutral · CEFR B1

temporarily, until circumstances change

go downhill Neutral · CEFR B1

to become progressively worse in condition, quality, or performance

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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