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off the drawing board
idiom
: beyond the planning stage
The project will never get off the drawing board.
Examples of off the drawing board in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some projects have struggled to even make it off the drawing board.
—Michael C. Horowitz, Foreign Affairs, 19 Apr. 2022
Ideas have moved off the drawing board and into the real world, and scientists, governments, and funders are all getting more thoughtful about using and consuming energy.
—Popular Science, 29 Nov. 2023
Engagement starts well before the campaign gets off the drawing board.
—Sarah Malcolm, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2021
However, the study left researchers with some unanswered questions to clear up before a therapy gets off the drawing board.
—Megan Schmidt, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2019
Those sleek, Art Deco lines came off the drawing board of famed American sailboat designer Bruce King, with a Roaring Twenties-style interior full of Lalique glass and Madrone burlwood paneling by UK superyacht designer Ken Freivokh.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2023
But like exotic sports cars, movies can be hard to get off the drawing board.
—William Jeanes, Car and Driver, 4 Feb. 2023
However, as with all patents, this functionality may never make it off the drawing board.
—Matthew Humphries, PCMAG, 3 Jan. 2023
Billions of dollars in incentives to keep existing nuclear plants operating and to get new nuclear technologies off the drawing board were enacted as part of the $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill signed late last year by President Biden.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2022
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Dictionary Entries Near off the drawing board
Cite this Entry
“Off the drawing board.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off%20the%20drawing%20board. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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