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You are here: Home / Language / Where does the expression “to start from scratch” come from and What does it mean?

Where does the expression “to start from scratch” come from and What does it mean?

March 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

The expression “to start from scratch” means: To begin any enterprise, investigation, search, or other activity from the very beginning, often with no precedent as a guide; to begin at the beginning; to take the first step.

Actually the expression is derived from the sporting world, from a race in which scratch designates the line or mark that is to be the starting point.

Hence, he who starts from scratch starts from nothing; he has no preliminary impetus beyond his own ability, genius, or determination to carry him through the race.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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