tread the boards
verb/ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈbɔːdz/UK/ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈboɹdz/CA/ˌtɹed ðə ˈboːdz/
Etymology
From the fact that theatre stages are often made of wooden boards which are trodden by actors. Compare French monter sur les planches (literally “to get up onto the boards”). The term boards (“a theatrical stage”) was first attested in the mid-1700s, this idiom itself was first attested in the mid-1800s, and was preceded by the idiom tread the stage, first attested in 1691.
Definitions
To work as a theatre actor.
- He seems to think that he's the greatest actor who's ever trod the boards.
- How do I know she would have succeeded? She had never then trod the boards. Besides, what strikes you as so good in a village show, may be poor enough in a metropolitan theatre.
To write plays for the theatre.
- After years of acting, she decided to tread the boards as a playwright instead, penning three successful comedies for the local theater company.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA