Back to the Drawing Board (Origin)

What Is the Origin of the Saying "Back to the Drawing Board"?

The term "back to the drawing board" means to return to the start when an attempt fails. The "drawing board" in this saying refers to an architect's or draughtsman's table, which is used to prepare designs and blueprints. The origin of "back to the drawing board" is well documented and can be traced back to precisely 1 March 1941. Even more specifically, the phrase was first used by the American cartoonist Peter Arno in the cartoon below, which featured in the 1 March 1941 edition of the New Yorker magazine. The caption reads "Well, back to the old drawing board." The cartoon depicts a crashed military plane with the pilot having bailed out. It features uniformed military personnel running towards the plane, while the engineer, carrying a roll of blue prints under his arm, walks away to start the redesign. Arno's caption was popularized during World War II, when many projects and missions inevitably did not work out as planned.

Somewhat ironically, "back to the drawing board" often carries positive overtones in recognition of the eventual route to success being narrowed down.

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