Back to Square One
What it means
Start again from the beginning, with the progress you made now worthless.
Where it comes from
The usual explanation is 1930s radio football commentary, with the pitch divided into numbered squares so listeners could follow the ball. Snakes and ladders and hopscotch have equally good claims, and nobody has settled it.
Read the longer story behind Back to Square One →
The puzzle it came from
Back to Square One was the answer to the Phrasicle of May 6, 2025. The clue read ____ to ____ ____, and the words came out of a grid where every neighbouring pair makes a two-word phrase.
Play today's Phrasicle Play the May 6, 2025 puzzle
Show the solved grid (this spoils the May 6, 2025 puzzle)
lucid
dream
big
one
way
milk
shake
down
under
ground
high
kick
back
yard
stick
down
town
square
root
canal
Phrasicle: Back to Square One