When you hear someone say “back to square one,” it likely makes you think of ‘going back to the beginning,’ or ‘having to start over.’
Today I learnt about this saying’s origin, and it’s a fun one worth sharing.
In 1927, the first live commentary of a football match occurred on the BBC. It was on radio, of course, and the commentators faced a problem: how do we describe where the action is taking place?
The solution: the Radio Times magazine published this image that listeners could use to follow along. By breaking the football pitch up into 8 squares, commentators could help listeners better imagine the game.
Say Team A is hot on the attack—down in square 7—but they lose possession, and Team B clears the ball back into Team A’s half, listeners were told the ball had travelled “back to square one.” In the mind of the listener, “back to square one” meant their team had to re-group, re-assess, and plan their next attacking move.
I love how sayings like “back to square one” have become part of our lexicon, but that we use them only because we know what they mean in a general sense and not because of their original purpose.