back to square one
2018.06.20
Meaning:
‘Back to square one’ is an expression from board games. In many board games we start at ‘square one’ and then move around the board until we reach the final square. If we are unlucky, we land on a square that says ‘Go back to square one’. This means our previous effort was a waste, and we must start again. So, in real life, when we fail, we sometimes say, ‘Oh well, back to square one’. This means, ‘Oh well, we failed, let’s start from the beginning again’. This expression has a sad+hopeful nuance; it’s sad because we failed, but hopeful because we are not giving up – we are going to try again.
Example:
A: Ugh! Oh well, back to square one, I guess.
B: What happened?
A: I spent 8 hours designing this poster. I almost finished.
B: Yeah, it looks great.
A: But the information is all wrong. I have to redesign the whole thing…
Talking Point(s):
Have you ever said, ‘Oh well, back to square one’?
大人からの英会話getgo 西船橋・荻窪・津田沼・本八幡