Definition of "across the board"

across the board

prepositional phrase
1. (idiomatic) Pertaining to all categories or things.
  Quotations
  […] in favor of a straight across-the-board salary increase […]
  1949, United States Congress Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Hearings
  A common technique (variously known as an emergency brake or meat axe budgeting) used by governments is across-the-board cuts;
  1983, A. Premchard, Government Budgeting and Expenditure: Theory and Practice
  Chile provides the region's best example of a country that has successfully reformed its core public administration across the board.
  1998, Shahid Javed Burki, Guillermo Perry, Beyond the Washington Consensus: Institutions Matter
2. (gambling) Having an equal amount staked on a competitor placing first, second, or third.
3. (chess) Of a move or sequence of play, made in response to developments occurring in the game, as opposed to pre-planned or according to theory.