drawing

back to the drawing board

if you go back to the drawing board, you have to start planning a piece of work again because the previous plan failed. If the education reform is too expensive to implement, it's back to the drawing board for the committee. Our proposal might not be accepted, in which case we'll have to go back to the drawing board.

See also: back, board

a drawing card (American & Australian)

a famous person who attracts a lot of people to a public event. Babe Ruth was the outstanding player of his time - the real drawing card for Yankee Stadium.

See also: card

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go back to the drawing board

to start something again because the previous attempt failed. Researchers went back to the drawing board to find where they went wrong.

Usage notes: sometimes used without go: When we thought we were finished, he sent us back to the drawing board and asked us to completely redo it.

back to square one

See also: back, board