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Glite Dictionary
to start from the drawing board

to start from the drawing board

4.0
To begin a plan or project again from the start after a failure
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : empezar de nuevo
  • If this prototype doesn't work, we'll just start from the drawing board and try a new design.

Examples

  • After the project was rejected, the team had to start from the drawing board and rethink their approach.

  • The engineers realized they'd made an error and had to start from the drawing board to fix it.

  • We need to start from the drawing board after that failure.

  • Don't worry, we can always start from the drawing board!

  • After the project was rejected, the team had to start from the drawing board and rethink their approach.

  • If this prototype doesn't work, we'll just start from the drawing board and try a new design.

  • The engineers realized they'd made an error and had to start from the drawing board to fix it.

Synonyms

to start over
vsto start from the drawing board
283 2.5

To do something again from the start after a mistake or problem

is reserved for redoing plans or projects after a failure
to start fresh
vsto start from the drawing board
  • Informal
26 3.6

Begin again without bringing past problems

usually follows a failure and restarts the process from the very beginning
from the ground up
vsto start from the drawing board
24 3.7

To build something completely from the very beginning

is about beginning again after a failure rather than complete rebuilding
to go back to the drawing board
vsto start from the drawing board
  • Informal
9 4.2

Start again from the beginning when a plan or idea fails

is the same idea but expressed with a different phrase
to relaunch
vsto start from the drawing board
7 3.9

To start something again after it stops or after you change it

focuses on redoing the whole process or plan from the beginning after failure
to replan
vsto start from the drawing board
1 3.7

To make a new plan after changes or problems

is about redoing the whole project from the very beginning after failure
to start with a clean sheet
vsto start from the drawing board
  • Informal
4.4

Do something new and not worry about past mistakes

is about restarting after failure rather than simply avoiding past influence

Antonyms

to continue
∞ 1.0

To keep doing something without stopping

to proceed
763 3.0

Begin or continue an action after a pause, often as planned

How Complete

to start from the drawing board
  • Informal
4.0
to rebuild
485 2.8
to rework
30 4.0
to revise
179 3.4
to tweak
81 3.8

Surface Forms

start from the drawing board infinitive
started from the drawing board past
started from the drawing board past participle
starting from the drawing board present participle
starts from the drawing board third person singular

Morphology

start + from + the + drawing + board

The phrase combines literal words ('start' + 'from' + 'drawing' + 'board') that could suggest beginning at a physical drawing board, but the meaning depends on a conventional metaphor where 'drawing board' stands for the planning/restart stage (i.e., begin again from scratch). Recognizing this figurative mapping is necessary to get the full sense, so an average B1 learner who only knows the literal word meanings may not reliably infer the exact idiomatic meaning.

Etymology

The phrase start from the drawing board comes from designers and engineers who used a real drawing board to make plans. When a plan failed they would clear the board and begin again, so the phrase now means 'to begin again from the very start' after a failure.