on board—
1. on a ship, aircraft, or public vehicle:
- The life of a boy on board a ship isn’t one to be envied, he is at every one’s beck and call.
2. said of smb. working with an organization or a group of people:
- We are in the process of interviewing applicants and hope to have a new teacher on board soon.
3. (sl.) said of drink consumed by a person:
- With a brandy like this on board, I’d face the devil himself.
on the board—
1. on the notice-board to which public notices are affixed:
- The matriculation takes place in the Senate Hall at times indicated on the board.
2. on the patterned surface on which some games are played:
- He slowly built an assault, using every piece on the board.
3. belonging to the committee controlling a business:
- He is on the board of thirty companies, and can fairly claim to be the biggest hotelier in Europe.
Note:
a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase on the drawing board—under preparation:
- A plan is now on the drawing board to build new schools in remote areas.
b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase on the boards—on the stage:
- Many of England’s most talented actors appear on the boards at the Swan Theater.