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The phrase across-the-board comes from horse racing. A bet placed on horses that come in first, second, and third is an across-the-board bet. But we use this in other ways, too.
Across-the-Board
Speaker A: Dan, don’t forget pickle ball practice tonight!
Speaker B: But we don’t practice on Fridays.
Speaker A: Coach said all members, across-the-board, must practice pickle ball before a big pickle ball game.
Speaker B: But I lead our team in wins.
Speaker A: Even great pickle ball players need pickle ball practice, Dan.
Speaker B: Okay, fine. Just please stop saying “pickle ball.”
Speaker A: Pickle ball.
If something is “across-the-board,” it affects everything or everyone within a system the same way. Even the best pickle ball players on a pickle ball team.
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
English 
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