How do you use "back to square one" in a sentence?

The client rejected everything, so we're back to square one. After the divorce, she was back to square one financially. The experiment failed and it's back to square one.

back to square one

Q: What does "back to square one" mean?

starting over from the beginning Having to restart after progress has been lost. From board games where landing on certain squares sends you back to the start.

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian Unknown Neutral

Meaning: starting over from the beginning

回到原点，从头开始

Volver al punto de partida, empezar de cero.

振り出しに戻る、最初からやり直す

원점으로 돌아가다, 처음부터 다시 시작하다

Having to restart after progress has been lost. From board games where landing on certain squares sends you back to the start.

进展全部白费，不得不从头来过。源自桌游中踩到特定格子会被送回起点的规则。

Tener que empezar de nuevo tras perder el progreso logrado. Proviene de juegos de mesa en los que ciertas casillas te devuelven al inicio.

進捗が失われ、最初からやり直さなければならない状態。特定のマスに止まるとスタートに戻されるボードゲームが語源。

진전이 있었으나 다시 처음부터 시작해야 하는 상황. 특정 칸에 도달하면 출발점으로 되돌아가는 보드게임에서 유래했다.

Examples

The client rejected everything, so we're back to square one.
客户全部否决了，所以我们又回到了原点。
El cliente rechazó todo, así que estamos de vuelta al punto de partida.
クライアントにすべて却下されて、振り出しに戻った。
클라이언트가 전부 거절해서 원점으로 돌아갔다.
After the divorce, she was back to square one financially.
离婚后，她在经济上回到了原点。
Tras el divorcio, volvió a estar en cero económicamente.
離婚後、彼女は経済的に振り出しに戻った。
이혼 후, 그녀는 경제적으로 원점으로 돌아갔다.
The experiment failed and it's back to square one.
实验失败了，一切又要从头来过。
El experimento falló y hay que volver a empezar.
実験が失敗し、振り出しに戻った。
실험이 실패해서 처음부터 다시 시작이다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: work, casual, frustrated

Tone: resigned

✓ Do Say

Express having to restart
表达不得不从头开始
expresar que hay que empezar de nuevo
やり直しを表す
처음부터 다시 시작해야 할 때 사용

✗ Don't Say

When some progress remains
当仍有部分进展时不用
Cuando aún queda algo de progreso
いくらか進捗が残っている場合には使わない
어느 정도 진전이 남아 있을 때

Origin & History

Possibly from BBC radio football commentary in the 1930s where the pitch was divided into squares. Or from board games like Snakes and Ladders.

Cultural Context

Era: timeless

Generation: all ages

Social background: all