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3. back to square one

back to square one

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back to square one

Fig. back to the beginning. (As with a board game.) Negotiations have broken down, and it's back to square one. We lost our appeal of the lower court decision, so back to square one.

See also: back, one, square

back to square one

returned to the beginning The investigation was back to square one when Mrs. Earle proved she wasn't anywhere near the crime.

Related vocabulary: go back to the drawing board

See also: back, one, square

back to square one

if you are back to square one, you have to start working on a plan from the beginning because your previous attempt failed and the progress you made is now wasted We thought everything was settled, but now they say they're not happy with the deal, so we're back to square one again. If this guy rejects our offer we'll have to go back to square one and start the whole recruitment process again.

See also: back, one, square

back to square one

phr. back to the beginning. (Often with go.) We’ve got to get this done without going back to square one.

See also: back, one, square