go by the board—
1. (also: come by the board) fall into the water from a ship:
- The ship gave a tremendous roll … and the mast went by the board.
2. said of an idea or an activity no longer practiced (often with the implication of regret):
- Now, within recent years the old materialism of our fathers has gone by the board.
go overboard—
1. = go by the board 1:
- During the storm a lot of the deck cargo went overboard.
2. (coll.) lose one’s senses; go mad:
- My uncle has been acting very strangely recently; the family think he may have gone overboard.
3. be very enthusiastic about smth.; do more than is necessary:
- Many teachers have gone overboard for the new methods without considering their worth.