phrase🎓 English idiom
back to square one
back to the very start
What it means
Back to the very beginning of a process, having made no lasting progress, so that you must start all over again. It is usually said with frustration after an effort has failed.
Words like “back to square one” are exactly the kind of vocabulary our English vocabulary size test measures — find out how many English words you know.
Examples
- The deal fell through, so we're back to square one.
- When the prototype failed, the engineers went back to square one.
- If this plan doesn't work, it's back to square one for us.
- The witness withdrew her statement, leaving the police back to square one.
Where it comes from
The phrase likely comes from board games such as snakes and ladders, where a player can be sent back to the first square. Its frequent attribution to early radio football commentary is disputed.
Related idioms
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