Back to square one

Returning to the starting point after a failed effort or setback, erasing progress and forcing a fresh beginning, often with frustration or resignation. It's like a game board where one lands back at the first square, undoing all advances, and carries a tone of disappointment tempered by the chance to try again.

Likely from 20th-century Britain, tied to early BBC radio broadcasts of soccer in the 1930s. Fields were imaginary grids, with 'square one' near the goal; a ball kicked back there reset play. Alternatively, it echoes board games like Snakes and Ladders, known since Victorian times, where players slide back to start. First printed in a 1952 'Economic Journal' for a failed policy, it reflects mid-century love of sports and games as life metaphors, blending defeat with restart.