Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,776,381,470 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

go by the board

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus 0.01 sec.
go by the board
Fig. to get ruined or lost. (This is originally a nautical expression meaning "to fall or be washed overboard.") I hate to see good food go by the board. Please eat up so we won't have to throw it out. Your plan has gone by the board. The entire project has been canceled.
See also: board

go by the board  (British, American & Australian) also go by the boards (American)
if something that has been planned or arranged goes by the board, it does not happen, and if something that exists goes by the board, it ends All our careful arrangements went by the board when the trip was cancelled at the last minute. When modern machinery was introduced, old-fashioned printing methods went by the board.
See also: board

go by the board
to stop existing Alsop complained that the world he knew as a young man had gone by the board.
Usage notes: also used in the form go by the boards
See also: board


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? References in classic literature
Well, I have loved, lived with, and left the sea without ever seeing a ship's tall fabric of sticks, cobwebs and gossamer go by the board.
There was no mistaking the sincerity of his distress or the strength of his determination: he had evidently resolved to let everything go by the board but the supreme need of thus putting himself on record.
 
Idioms browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Idioms and phrases
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.