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back to square one

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.09 sec.
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, 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, square

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If 75% of investors approve, the deal will go through; if not, it's back to square one.
If this hateful measure were to pass, we would be not just back to square one but completely off the board--permanent second-class citizens.
All three branches of the government have been involved, and like many things that pass through this triumvirate, we're back to square one.
 
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