start from scratch

start from scratch

To begin from the very beginning without the aid or advantage of something that is already prepared or completed. A noun or pronoun can be used between "start" and "from." The folder with my outline and notes got deleted, so now I have to start the whole project again from scratch. We don't have time to start from scratch, so let's just use some cake mix from a box.
See also: scratch, start
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

start from scratch

to start from the very beginning; to start from nothing. Whenever I bake a cake, I start from scratch. I never use a cake mix in a box. I built every bit of my own house. I started from scratch and did everything with my own hands.
See also: scratch, start
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

start from scratch, to

To begin from nothing at all, without having a head start or some other advantage. This term comes from racing, where a horse or runner is said to start from scratch when starting from the usual point—that is, the line “scratched” (marked) on the course—while others may be starting ahead with a handicap. The term was transferred to other bare beginnings by the twentieth century. George Orwell used it in Coming Up for Air (1939): “We’d no fishing tackle of any kind. . . . We had to start from scratch.”
See also: start
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

start from scratch

Start at the beginning with no advantage. The scratch line was a stripe across the ground where a race began. Starting from scratch meant having no advantage against others in the race where handicaps allowed some entrants shorter distances to run.
See also: scratch, start
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • involve with
  • involve with (someone or something)
  • involved with
  • arrange for
  • arrange for some time
  • arrange some music for
  • back into
  • back into (someone or something)
  • add in
  • angle
References in periodicals archive
It determined there was an urgent need to start from scratch and develop a financial reporting alternative to meet users' needs.
Mark to market: the U.K. experience
Richard Enright, regional vice president of Data Trace, said this is one area of the country the company didn't cover and that the takeover was a great opportunity to enter a market without having to start from scratch.
Data Trace buys Courthouse Data
The House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee said it was "astonished" that without consulting its own experts, the government instructed a new advisory body to start from scratch, despite an overwhelming international scientific consensus that underground disposal or storage was a safe long- term solution.
Peers hit out at lack of waste policies
I was put in a difficult position because I had to re-create a new ballet, start from scratch. There was nothing left except the building.
PIETRAGALLA LEAVES PARIS OPERA FOR MARSEILLES POST
"Sometimes you have to throw out the entire marketing/pricing strategy and start from scratch."
Redevelopment pro sells out Cos Cob condo in one month
The write-down, as well as some refinancing with the company's bankers, allows Tembec to start from scratch as it attempts to get the mill - which produces high-quality paper packing board - to full production.
Tembec writes down value of investment
So the wife with little job experience because of her years raising children may have to start from scratch in the working world while her former husband already has a position, professional experience, benefits, and salary.
The divorce revolution
The system had been due to be introduced by the end of this year, but last month APACS said the industry had been forced to start from scratch so that all payments would arrive on the day they were made - not just those made early in the day.
RECORD money: Industry body APACS
We all start from scratch though and you need some luck."
EQUESTRIAN: Skelton bidding for fairytale end to Olympic career; OLYMPICS: ATHENS 2004
Or, as the chief engineer for the 4Runner, Junichi Furuyama, puts it, "One of the benefits of this project was that our team was allowed to start from scratch."
Genchi-Genbutsu and creating the Toyota 4Runner. (On Cars)
He had to start from scratch to re-build and it cannot be denied he failed.
Sports letters: Graeme Souness
``I have got to start from scratch again but I am a lot more confident this season and a lot stronger.
RUGBY UNION: Determined Williams on way back
5 When viewing a property don't be put off by horrible decoration it can be a plus to start from scratch.
Claire's tips for best results
We'll just start from scratch again with the same songs and lay down some fresh tracks."
3am: Material not good for Cardigans