What does starting from square one mean? "Back to square one" is a phrase that means "to go back to the beginning, after a dead-end or failure". It likely stems from 1930s radio commentary of football matches, where the pitch was divided up into grid squares with square one being where one side of one team's defence would be located.
What is the meaning of square one?
Feb 23, 2020 · What does starting from square one mean? "Back to square one " is a phrase that means "to go back to the beginning , after a dead-end or failure". It likely stems from 1930s radio commentary of football matches, where the pitch was divided up into grid squares with square one being where one side of one team's defence would be located.
What does it mean to go back to square one?
Definition of square one. : the initial stage or starting point the failure set us back to square one.
What does it mean when a board starts from Square One?
'Back to square one' means back to the beginning; start again. What's the origin of the phrase 'Back to square one'? 'Back to square one' is a classic of folk etymology.
What does square one mean on a football pitch?
square one. The very first stage of something; the initial starting point. (Especially in the phrase "back to square one.") We'll have to start again at square one if the government pulls our …
How do I start square one?
Why do we say square one?
How do you say back to square one?
- begin again.
- go back to the drawing board.
- make a fresh start.
- make a new beginning.
- start from scratch.
- wipe the slate clean.
Is back to square one an idiom?
What's the origin of the phrase 'Back to square one'?
'Back to square one' is a classic of folk etymology. Although the origin is uncertain, no uncertainty lurks in the minds of those who are sure how, where and when it was derived.
BBC Commentaries
Ask a group of people in the UK about the origin of 'back to square one' and it won't be long before you are told that it originated with BBC football commentaries.
Board Games
Other sources report that the phrase refers to Snakes and Ladders (Chutes and Ladders in the USA) or similar board games. The earliest citation of the phrase in print currently known is 1952, from the UK publication the Economic Journal:
Hopscotch
This playground game is played on a grid of numbered squares. The precise rules of the game vary from place to place but it usually involves players hopping from square to square, missing out the square containing their thrown stone. They usually go from one to eight or ten and then back to square one.
Origin of Back to Square One
Most sources cite board games as the origin of this idiom. Many board games involve progressing forward on the board. Occasionally, something will happen during gameplay that will cause the player to move back to the starting position, which is often a square.
Examples of Back to Square One
Here is an example of the idiom being used by two college friends who are discussing a class project they are working on.
More Examples
In an article about a football team that lost its quarterback, the team has to start all over and find a replacement.
Summary
Back to square one is another way to say return to the starting point.
back to square one
Back to the very first stage of something; returned to an initial starting point. We'll have to go back to square one if the government pulls our funding on this project. Yet another relationship down the tubes. I guess I'm back to square one yet again!
back at square one
COMMON If someone is back to square one or back at square one, they have failed completely in what they were trying to do, and now have to start again. The treatment failed and I was back to square one. But now, after their appeal, the investigation is back at square one. Note: You can also say that you start or start something from square one.
