Curious about the phrases people use every day? This blog post dives into the fascinating world of idioms that include the word “origin” or have a theme of “origin”. These expressions are like little pieces of history, telling stories about where things come from in a fun way. Let’s explore some of these interesting idioms that are easy enough for anyone to understand!
Origin Idioms
Here are 20 origin idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
1. Back to square one
Meaning: Starting over again
Example: After the project failed, it was back to square one.
2. From scratch
Meaning: Starting from the beginning
Example: She built her business from scratch.
3. Ground zero
Meaning: The starting point
Example: The old mill is ground zero for the festival.
4. In the beginning
Meaning: At the start
Example: In the beginning, they were great friends.
5. Jumping-off point
Meaning: The starting point for discussion
Example: This idea is our jumping-off point.
6. Lay the foundation
Meaning: Establish a basis
Example: He laid the foundation for future studies.
7. Make a clean sweep
Meaning: Start afresh by removing all
Example: They made a clean sweep in the office.
8. New blood
Meaning: Fresh and energetic newcomers
Example: The team needs some new blood.
9. On the drawing board
Meaning: In the planning phase
Example: Our next project is still on the drawing board.
10. Point of departure
Meaning: The starting point
Example: His thesis was the point of departure.
11. Set the stage
Meaning: Prepare the setting
Example: They set the stage for negotiations.
12. Square one
Meaning: The beginning
Example: We’re back at square one with this issue.
13. Starting gun
Meaning: Signal to begin
Example: The starting gun has sounded for the race.
14. Starting line
Meaning: Place where one begins
Example: They were all at the starting line at dawn.
15. Tabula rasa
Meaning: Clean slate for new ideas
Example: They approached the design with a tabula rasa.
16. Turn over a new leaf
Meaning: Begin anew
Example: He turned over a new leaf this year.
17. Under the auspices
Meaning: With support or endorsement
Example: The event was held under the auspices of the mayor.
18. Up and running
Meaning: Fully operational
Example: The new website is up and running.
19. Zero hour
Meaning: The scheduled start time
Example: It was zero hour for the launch.
20. Zero in on
Meaning: Focus closely
Example: She zeroed in on the main problem.
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