tread the boards

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• trĕd′ thə bôrdz′
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈbɔːdz/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Canada, General-American: /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈboɹdz/
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• Australian, New-Zealand: /ˌtɹed ðə ˈboːdz/
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• Scotland: /ˌtɹɛd ðə ˈbɔɹdz/
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• India: /ˌʈɾɛɖ d̪e ˈbɔrɖz/
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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.

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Bulgarian: играя в театър (igraja v teatǎr) — to work as an theatre actor
• Finnish: olla näyttämöllä — to work as an theatre actor
• French: monter sur les planches — to work as an theatre actor
• Italian: calcàre le scene — to work as an theatre actor
• Polish: aktorować — to work as an theatre actor
• Polish: występować na deskach — to work as an theatre actor
• Polish: wystąpić na deskach — to work as an theatre actor
• Spanish: pisar las tablas — to work as an theatre actor
• Welsh: troedio'r llwyfan — to work as an theatre actor
• Finnish: kirjoittaa näyttämölle — to write plays for the theatre
• Polish: pisać spektakle — to write plays for the theatre