Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Back to square one
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Back to square one" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourEffort, Success, & Failure collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Back to square one
To return to the very beginning of a process, project, or plan because a previous attempt has failed completely.
History & Origin
While often attributed to early BBC football radio commentaries where the pitch was divided into numbered squares for listeners, the phrase most likely originates from traditional board games like Snakes and Ladders or hopscotch. In these games, landing on a specific penalty space forces the player to move their piece all the way back to the very first square to start over. The phrase gained widespread popular usage in the mid-20th century to describe restarting a failed real-world endeavor.
Examples
Unfortunately, the client rejected our entire design proposal, so we are back to square one and will need to brainstorm a completely new concept by Monday.
I spent all weekend trying to fix my laptop, but then it crashed again this morning, so I'm basically back to square one.
When the initial replication study failed to produce the expected data, the research team found themselves back to square one, forcing them to re-evaluate their core hypothesis.
After months of intense climate negotiations, the sudden withdrawal of key nations means the treaty talks are back to square one.
If we do not secure funding for the community center this evening, our urban renewal initiative will be back to square one.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. After winning the first round of the tournament so easily, the team felt like they were back to square one.
B. The software update completely broke our database, forcing the development team back to square one to rebuild the architecture.
C. She has been promoted three times this year, so she is finally back to square one of her corporate career.
D. We need to finish this project quickly, so please ensure everyone goes back to square one to accelerate the process.