[Ads-l] back to square 1

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Good work, Peter. I started a thread on the ADS list about expressions
such as "back to square one" and "return to square one" back in
November 2009. Here is a link to the first message in a thread of six
messages:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2009-November/094004.html

Stephen Goranson found "back to square 1" in a passage about Hop
Scotch in a 1920 edition of "Games And Dances" by William A. Stecher:

https://archive.org/details/gamesanddances017480mbp

https://archive.org/stream/gamesanddances017480mbp#page/n133/mode/2up/search/%22square+1%22

I mentioned the Google Books Snippet match for the figurative sense
with a GB 1946 date that you also found:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2009-November/094085.html

Garson

On Thu, Feb 4, 2016 at 1:50 AM, Peter Morris
<peter_morris_1 at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Peter Morris <peter_morris_1 at BLUEYONDER.CO.UK>
> Subject:      back to square 1
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> This one's an old favourite that people have been discussing for years.=20
> Popular theories for its origin include radio sports commentry and board
> games. As far as I know, the earliest current cite is 1952.
>
> http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/back-to-square-one.html
>
>
> I believe I've found two earlier cites.=20
>
> The first is a  literal use of the phrase in a description of Snakes & =
> Ladders,=20
> which would  support the board game origin. It appears to be from 1904,
> usual disclaimers apply.
>
> The Juvenile Missionary Herald,=20
> Baptist Missionary Society 1904
>
> http://tinyurl.com/zloxfy6
> http://tinyurl.com/zkff2mp
>
> When your turn comes round again, should you score eight points and so=20
> reach square 12 which is called "Faith" you would then rise at once  by=20
> means of a ladder to the original  square "Manhood's estate" . Beyond =
> this=20
> there are seven such ladders leading  to the seven heavens of the Hindus =
>
> respectively ...  "Murder" or simply "Killing" takes you right back to =
> square 1,
> "a Tiger";  84, " Anger," leads to 13, "a Pig " ; 92, " Greed," to 34, =
> "a=20
> Monkey"; 95, "Pride," to 26, "a Horse" ; and 99, " Desire," leads  down  =
>
> to 29," a Cat." The teaching contained in this last thought is =
> thoroughly Hindu.
>
>
>
>
> The second seems to be the  figurative sense of starting again. The use =
> of capital=20
> letters is puzzling, though. Maybe it's a proper noun, and refers in the =
> story to an=20
> actual place
>
>
> Saigon Singer
> Van Wick Mason 1946
>
>
> http://tinyurl.com/jbgp9do
>
> "And now, mon Commandant," she said brightly, "I'm over my crise de
> nerfs. You may consider me right back in Square One."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
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