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
Start from scratch
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Start from scratch" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourEffort, Success, & Failure collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Start from scratch
To begin a process, project, or task completely from the very beginning, often because a previous attempt failed or because no preparation or existing work is being used.
History & Origin
This idiom originates from the world of sports, specifically 19th-century racing and cricket, where the starting point or boundary was literally scratched into the dirt or turf. A runner who 'started from scratch' received no handicap or head start, meaning they had to begin from the very baseline of the competition. Over time, the phrase shifted into general English to describe starting any endeavor with absolutely zero advantages or pre-existing progress.
Examples
Since the client completely rejected our initial design concept, we will need to throw out the current drafts and start from scratch on Monday.
My laptop crashed before I could save my essay, so now I have to start from scratch and rewrite the whole thing.
When the replication study failed to produce the expected results, the researchers decided to start from scratch by redesigning their experimental methodology.
After a devastating fire destroyed their flagship restaurant, the owners chose to start from scratch rather than trying to salvage the remaining structure.
To build a truly equitable society, we cannot simply patch over old laws; instead, we must start from scratch to reform our institutional frameworks.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. After working for hours on the project, Sarah was happy to start from scratch and finish it ahead of schedule.
B. Because the software code was riddled with unfixable bugs, the development team decided to delete it and start from scratch.
C. The chef added too much salt to the soup, so she used a spoon to start from scratch out of the pot.
D. John had a great head start in the race, which allowed him to start from scratch and win easily.