A plank is a long, flat, thick piece of wood used in building floors, decks, and other structures.
From Old North French 'planke', from Late Latin 'planca' meaning 'board, plank', probably from a root meaning 'flat'. It originally referred to flat boards used in shipbuilding and construction.
When politicians talk about 'planks' in a platform, they’re using a construction metaphor: each promise is a board in the floor they stand on. The phrase 'walk the plank' comes from a very real pirate punishment using an actual wooden board.
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