View synonyms for across-the-board

across-the-board

[ uh-kraws-thuh-bawrd, -bohrd, uh-kros- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

applying to all employees, members, groups, or categories; general:
The across-the-board pay increase means a raise for all employees.
(of a bet) covering all possibilities of winning on a given result, especially by placing a combination bet on one horse in a race for win, place, and show.

across-the-board

adjective

(of salary increases, taxation cuts, etc) affecting all levels or classes equally
horse racing the US term for each way

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Word History and Origins

Origin of across-the-board¹

First recorded in 1940–45

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Idioms and Phrases

Applying to all the individuals in a group, as in They promised us an across-the-board tax cut , that is, one applying to all taxpayers, regardless of income. This expression comes from horse racing, where it refers to a bet that covers all possible ways of winning money on a race: win (first), place (second), or show (third). The board here is the notice-board on which the races and betting odds are listed. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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