köken: Compound of tillbaka (“back”) + till (“to”) + ruta (“square”) + ett (“one”). Unknown origin. * Possibly originated as a board game term, where, in various games such as Snakes and Ladders, the player piece might return to the first square. "Back to square one" would then mean that the player had lost all advancement. * Possibly originally a soccer term, where radio commentators (due to the lack…