Back to square one means to go back to the beginning or start over when faced with a setback or failure.
This phrase originates from the early days of radio sports commentary in the UK, where the game was divided into imaginary squares on the field for the listeners. So, if a player made a mistake or there was a need to restart the game, the commentator would say “back to square one.” Over time, the expression has evolved to be used more broadly in various situations where a person has to start over from the beginning.
Example 1: We spent hours working on the project, but when the computer crashed, we lost all our work and had to go back to square one.
Example 2: Julie studied for months for her driving test, but she failed on her first attempt. Now, she has to start her preparation back to square one and take the test again.
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