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If the constitutional treaty is rejected it will be back to square one, just at a time when we want Europe to be a more effective force for good in the world, when we need to buttress ourselves against the pressures and insecurities of globalization.
Peter Mandelson

Meaning of "back to square one" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF BACK TO SQUARE ONE

back to square one play
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WHAT DOES BACK TO SQUARE ONE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Back to square one

"Back to square one" is a phrase that means "to go back to the beginning, after a dead-end or failure". It can also refer to: ▪ Square One, also called "Back to Square One" ▪ Back to Square One, a 1994 German film...

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE BACK TO SQUARE ONE

back saw
back scatter
back seat
back shift
back slang
back story
back straight
back street
back stretch
back talk
back teeth
back to back
back to front
back to taws
back to the drawing board
back tooth
back up
back vowel
back water
back yard

WORDS THAT END LIKE BACK TO SQUARE ONE

a good one
at one
be made one
carry all before one
day one
every one
for the life of one
give someone one
have it in one
hole in one
in one
loved one
no one
number one
off on one
one on one
pull a fast one
route one
the old one
the one

Synonyms and antonyms of back to square one in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «back to square one» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF BACK TO SQUARE ONE

Find out the translation of back to square one to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of back to square one from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «back to square one» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

回到原点
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

de vuelta al punto
570 millions of speakers

English

back to square one
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

एक वर्ग को वापस
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

العودة إلى المربع الأول
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

возвращается на круги своя
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

volta à estaca zero
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

ফিরে স্কয়ার এক থেকে
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

retour à la case départ
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

kembali kepada asal
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

wieder auf Platz eins
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

振り出しに戻って
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

다시 원점으로
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Bali menyang kothak siji
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

trở lại một hình vuông
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

திரும்பவும் ஆரம்பத்திலிருந்து
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

परत चौरस एक वर
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

silbaştan
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

torna al punto di partenza
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

z powrotem do punktu
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

повертається на круги своя
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

înapoi la un pătrat
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

πίσω στο σημείο μηδέν
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

terug na square one
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

tillbaka till ruta ett
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tilbake til utgangspunktet
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of back to square one

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «BACK TO SQUARE ONE»

The term «back to square one» is regularly used and occupies the 79.249 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
63
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «back to square one» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of back to square one
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «back to square one».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «BACK TO SQUARE ONE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «back to square one» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «back to square one» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about back to square one

EXAMPLES

4 QUOTES WITH «BACK TO SQUARE ONE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word back to square one.
1
Scott Adsit
Most sitcoms and cartoons, especially, you can rely on, because they go back to square one at the beginning of every episode.
2
Peter Mandelson
If the constitutional treaty is rejected it will be back to square one, just at a time when we want Europe to be a more effective force for good in the world, when we need to buttress ourselves against the pressures and insecurities of globalization.
3
David Plouffe
You ask people, 'should we go back to square one?' People don't want to do that.
4
Alex Turner
I think I'm alright as a lyricist, you know? But then what will happen every couple of months or so is that I'll hear a song I've never heard before and feel I've gone right back to square one.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BACK TO SQUARE ONE»

Discover the use of back to square one in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to back to square one and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Back to Square One: Old World Food in a New World Kitchen
To toast the splendid marriage of fine food and wine, her son, Evan Goldstein, master sommelier and director of the Sterling Vineyards School of Service and Hospitality, makes detailed and enticing wine recommendations for every recipe in ...
Joyce Esersky Goldstein, 1992
2
Selling Ben Cheever: Back to Square One in a Service Economy
Unable to sell his latest novel, Ben Cheever started to think about what employment opportunities were out there. Selling Ben Cheever is the frank, self-effacing, and enlightening chronicle of his five years in the service industry.
Benjamin Cheever, 2002
3
Back to Square One: New and Selected Poems
These poems offer a wry retrospective of life on the edges of things.
Phebe Davidson, 2003
4
Twenty Hands-on Activities for Learning Idioms
C<*>aie V' <*> eart0/7 •#£*\ Before beginning this activity, explain to students that going "back to square one" is an idiom that means to start something over from the very beginning (often because of a failure to accomplish the desired result) .
Michael Gravois, 2002
5
The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Seven: The ...
ever magnificent, however beautiful or holy it may be, it still discolors your existence. So if you have a sense of ultimate cynicism, you are back to square one. If you see through any trips that are laid on you, or anyone trying to influence you, ...
Carolyn Rose Gimian, Chogyam Trungpa, 2004
6
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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 completely: If this doesn t work we 're back to square one. ▻ noun [C] FURTHEST PART© 1 ...
‎2008
7
Subversive Spirituality
Back to Square One: God Said A number of years ago when I was in the first few months of learning how to be a grandparent, my son Eric, daughter-in-law Lynn, and little grandson Andrew were visiting us in our home for a few days.
Eugene H. Peterson, Jim Lyster, John Sharon, 1997
8
Idioms in the News - 1,000 Phrases, Real Examples
Mr. Obama said he was calling Congressional leaders to the White House Saturday morning at 11 a.m. "to explain to me how we are going to avoid default," acknowledging that discussions were basically back to square one. —CBS News  ...
Peter Bengelsdorf
9
Arithmetricks
Now there are two ______ and one ______ on Square Two. One ______ is alone on Square One. •. Now the boat must go back to Square One. So one ______ rows back to Square One. That leaves a ______ and an ______ on Square Two.
Jeri Cipriano, 2006
10
Exploring Idioms: A Critical-Thinking Resource for Grades 4-8
Back. to. Square. One. Definition: Starting over; going back to the beginning of something. Background: It is widely believed that back to square one is the product of the British Broadcasting Corporation's (BBC) radio transmission of football ...
Valeri R. Helterbran, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BACK TO SQUARE ONE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term back to square one is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Greece must go back to square one on debt relief, EU says
Greece forfeited a November 2012 offer of debt relief by letting its bailout expire and is starting from a blank slate in seeking easier repayment ... «Kathimerini, Jul 15»
2
Rubeor resigns as St. Mary's boys lacrosse coach
Now it is back to square one for St. Mary's, which has been through four boy's lacrosse coaches since the legendary Jim Moorhead stepped ... «CapitalGazette.com, Jul 15»
3
PARCC out, AIR in after whirlwind of Common Core testing changes …
This solves nothing, and you can bet the house these things won't be "ready by spring." We're back to square one. And teacher Jackie Conrad ... «cleveland.com, Jul 15»
4
Ohio State's Braxton Miller, After Surgery
The surgical site is very delicate, and overloading the structures of the shoulder too soon can throw you right back to square one. 3. Minimum ... «Eleven Warriors, Jul 15»
5
Achint Kaur, Saurabh Shukla, Sadia Siddiqui, Preeti Mamgai in a play
Back to square one: Next comes Rinky (Sadia Siddiqui), a street smart wannabe actress, who claims that she has met many men in the past ... «Times of India, Jul 15»
6
Conservative confab highlights 10 themes to watch in 2016 race
Rick Santorum is back to square one. The former senator won the 2012 Iowa caucuses and 10 other states by applying more shoe leather than ... «Washington Examiner, Jul 15»
7
The 411 Wrestling Top 5: The Top 5 Matches of 2015 (So Far)
... himself as the top contender it all seemed like we'd gotten back to square one. Only this time around Tanahashi kicked out of the Rainmaker, ... «411mania.com, Jul 15»
8
Bukenya Likens Museveni to Amin
"I don't want to talk to him for purposes of electioneering and after the elections, everything goes back to square one." If he is to talk, Bukenya ... «AllAfrica.com, Jul 15»
9
Back to square one
And here we go once again. More controversy, more anger and more drama — there is never a dull moment in India-Pakistan relationship. «Arab News, Jul 15»
10
Bill on Foster Care Favors Uncles, Grandparents
... voted to applied the “principle of continuity” to it, making it possibe to continue legislating it without having to go back to square one. «Arutz Sheva, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Back to square one [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/back-to-square-one>. Apr 2024 ».
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