tread the boards

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === enPR: trĕd′ thə bôrdz′ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈbɔːdz/ (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈboɹdz/ (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˌtɹed ðə ˈboːdz/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈbɔɹdz/ (India) IPA(key): /ˌʈɾɛɖ d̪e ˈbɔʳɖz/ Hyphenation: tread the boards === Verb === tread the boards (third-person singular simple present treads the boards, present participle treading the boards, simple past trod the boards or tread the boards or treaded the boards, past participle trodden the boards or trod the boards or tread the boards or treaded the boards)(intransitive, idiomatic, dated or humorous) (idiomatic) To work as a theatre actor. Synonyms: tread the stage, walk the boards He seems to think that he's the greatest actor who's ever trod the boards. (figuratively) To write plays for the theatre. ==== Translations ==== === See also === === References === === Further reading === “to tread the stage (the boards)” under “tread, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2023. “tread the boards”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present. “tread the boards” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman. “tread the boards” (US) / “tread the boards” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary. “tread the boards”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “tread the boards”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.