Catch Word #107 – Back to the drawing board

Transcript
Maura: Hello everyone. This is Maura.

Harp: And Harp.

Maura: And we're here with your Culips English language podcast. And at Culips we
always focus on natural, everyday English.

Harp: Yeah. The English you'll hear on the streets in North America.

Maura: Exactly, the streets.

Harp: And make sure you check out our website, Culips.com, that's
C-U-L-I-P-S.com, because there, you can find all our older episodes, you can
become a member. And when you're a member, you have access to the
Learning Materials, which include a complete transcript, detailed
explanations, and even a quiz.

Maura: Right! So check it out. Now, today's episode is a Catch Word episode. And
that's when we look at different slang or expressions and we give you lots of
examples and explanations and teach you how to use it.

Harp: Exactly. And today we have some very fun expressions.

Maura: Yeah. We got some interesting ones that could be used with friends in a
casual situation or could be used at work.

Harp: Yeah. Any time you're speaking English, you can try to use these
expressions.

Maura: The expressions we're going to look at today have to do with starting again.
So you've gone through the process of something, but you need to begin
again, usually because it didn't work out the first time, so you need to start
again.

Harp: Yeah, when you're working on a project or you’re trying to make a plan and
you have to start fresh, these are what these expressions are for.

Maura: Right. So, the first expression we're going to look at today is to go back to
the drawing board.

Harp: Yes. To go back to the drawing board.

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Maura: You know, I always feel that when we do long expressions, we have to
repeat them a couple times. So let's repeat this one two more times. To go
back to the drawing board.

Harp: Yeah. To go back to the drawing board.

Maura: Right. And this expression means that you have to start something again,
that something didn't work out or it's not working properly, there maybe are
some mistakes. And for some reason you have to begin again.

Harp: Yeah. So when you're working on something, maybe it's a project for school
and you're working and you're working, but something's wrong. It's not going
well. There's too many mistakes, so you have to start again. You have to go
back to the drawing board.

Maura: Right. Now, to go back to the drawing board. What is a drawing board?

Harp: Well, a drawing board is a special desk that architects use to draw and to
plan for a design. And if the plan or the design doesn't work or doesn't look
good for whatever reason, they have to go back to the drawing board to
redraw the plan.

Maura: Right. It makes sense, because especially if you're designing a building, you
need to draw pictures first and if there's some kind of problems with it, the
structure or the design's not good, you have to start over again by drawing.
So you go back to the drawing board.

Harp: Yes, exactly. Should we use this expression in an example?

Maura: Yeah, I think it's about time.

Harp: Hey, do you wanna book the tickets to Bermuda today?

Maura: Yeah, I think we should. So, tickets are still on sale, right?

Harp: Yes, I checked.

Maura: OK, good, good. And we went over everything, right? We have the
accommodation that looks like it's a pretty good price. And…

Harp: The beach is really close by.

Maura: The beaches look pretty nice and there's lots of things to do.

Harp: Maura, did you check what the temperature’s gonna be there?

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Maura: No. Well, you know, Bermuda's in the Caribbean so it's probably warm, but
let's just double-check online to see what the regular temperatures are for
March in Bermuda. Oh, it says 18 degrees, around.

Harp: 18 degrees! I wanna go somewhere warm like 30, 35 degrees.

Maura: Yeah, that's true, eh? We wanna be somewhere warm on a beach.

Harp: Yeah. We can go to Bermuda when it's warmer. Let's find somewhere else
for March.

Maura: All right. I guess it's back to the drawing board for us.

Harp: Yeah, let's go back and look for something else.

Maura: All right. I'll check some airline ticket prices tonight.

Harp: OK. Let's regroup tomorrow.

Maura: OK. So, there's an example where some people had to go back to the
drawing board.

Harp: Yeah, they had checked a lot of factors, they had planned a lot, but in the
end they forgot one detail and it was a deciding factor so they need to redo
their whole plan.

Maura: Right. It wasn't warm enough for what they wanted to do on their trip
because in the month of March, Bermuda isn't a really, really hot place, so
they decided to try to find tickets to somewhere else.

Harp: Maura, this example sounds really similar to the story you told me at brunch
last week.

Maura: Well, yes. It's exactly a true story. This happened because my sister and I
are planning a trip and we thought we were going to go to Bermuda because
it's in the Caribbean so that'll be very warm in the winter. And then we
decided to just double-check the weather and we found that it was only 18,
which is pretty nice compared to the Canadian winter but when you go on a
winter vacation like that, you want it to be really hot.

Harp: Yes, agreed.

Maura: Yeah. We wanted to be on the beach and relaxing and stuff like that, so my
sister and I were discussing this by text message because my sister lives in
another city. So when we realized that we weren't going to buy tickets, she
sent me the text message “Back to the drawing board.”

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Harp: Oh, great! Did you tell her thanks for giving us a wonderful expression to use
on Culips?

Maura: Yes, I did.

Harp: Lovely. OK, let's give one more example with to go back to the drawing
board.

Maura: Let's do it.

Maura: All right. Here you go. Here's the marketing plan I've been working on for the
past couple weeks.

Harp: Oh, OK. Let me have a quick look. Have a seat.

Maura: OK, great.

Harp: Oh. Did you not get the new requirements?

Maura: No. What am I missing?

Harp: The budget was cut in half, so this plan is not going to work.

Maura: Oh wow, I had no idea.

Harp: Yeah, you're gonna have to go back to the drawing board. This isn't going
to work.

Maura: All right. See you next week with the new plan.

Harp: OK, sounds good.

Maura: So, there's another example where someone had to go back to the
drawing board. They had to start again.

Harp: And just a little note for this expression: often times when we use it, instead
of saying a full sentence, like “Oh, I have to go back to the drawing board,”
often we just say, “Oh, back to the drawing board.”

Maura: Right. You might say that about yourself, or you might say it directed to
someone else, but you say it just like that, the same: “Back to the drawing
board.”

Harp: All right, perfect. Let's move on to the next expression.

Maura: Yes. The next expression, which also means that you have to start
something again, is to go back to square one.

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Harp: Yes, to go back to square one.

Maura: To go back to square one means that you have to start something again,
also usually because there were some problems or it wasn't working out the
first time, so for some reason you have to begin again.

Harp: Yeah. So to go back to square one. In this expression, square one means
the beginning. So when you say to go back to square one, it means to go
back to the beginning.

Maura: Yeah, it makes sense because one is the first number, after all.

Harp: It's true.

Maura: This actually has a really interesting origin.

Harp: What is it, Maura?

Maura: Well, to go back to square one is likely from a game. Because in the game
snakes and ladders, when you're moving your game piece over the game
board, eventually you might come to a square where you have to put your
game piece all the way back at the beginning, so you have to start at square
one again.

Harp: That's a very interesting origin for this and explains it.

Maura: Right. So even though you've been playing the game for a while, maybe
you're half way through the game, suddenly you make a move and you're all
the way back at the beginning again.

Harp: Yep.

Maura: It actually could also be from the game hopscotch, too, which is another
game that involves squares. And it's the same idea; if you make a mistake,
you're back at square one.

Harp: So interesting. Much easier to remember when you think of the games.

Maura: Yeah. And if you don't know these games, snakes and ladders or it's also
called chutes and ladders, and the other game was hopscotch. If you don't
know these games, then maybe you should think about becoming a member,
because we're going to explain more about these games in our Learning
Materials.

Harp: All right. So to go back to square one means, again, that you have to start
again, you have to go back to the beginning.

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Maura: Exactly. So let's give some examples now with to go back to square one.

Harp: Hey, are you all done your English assignment?

Maura: Yup, yup. I worked on it all night, so I finished the summary.

Harp: You finished just the summary?

Maura: Yeah, yeah, the summary.

Harp: But it's an essay.

Maura: What? I thought it was a summary.

Harp: No, you have to do a full essay.

Maura: Oh, man.

Harp: It’s back to square one for you.

Maura: Pfft.

Harp: I guess you're not going to the movie with me tonight.

Maura: I guess not.

Maura: So, there's an example where someone had to go back to square one
because they hadn't done the assignment properly.

Harp: Yeah. They had to go back to the beginning and redo it.

Maura: Exactly.

Harp: So, let's give one more example with to go back to square one.

Maura: So, I think we're almost done putting this desk together. Whaddaya think?

Harp: I think so. I think we just have to put this one piece here.

Maura: OK, then I have this little screw piece. I think you stick it in this hole over
here.

Harp: Oh no.

Maura: Oh, what?

Harp: We did it all wrong! That was the first piece we were supposed to use.

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Maura: Wait. Let me see the instructions. Oh, no.

Harp: We have to take the whole desk apart.

Maura: All right. Let's go back to square one.

Maura: And there's an example that some of you might be familiar with, assembling
furniture.

Harp: Yeah, I'm definitely familiar with this example because I'm really bad at
putting furniture together, so I've had to go back to square one often when
I'm putting it together.

Maura: Sometimes it's pretty complicated, though.

Harp: Yeah, sometimes there are so many pieces and the instructions aren't very
clear.

Maura: Yeah. And this is definitely a time where if you don't get it right, you do have
to start right from the beginning again.

Harp: Yeah. You can't put a piece on after everything else is put together.

Maura: Yup, for sure. OK, let's look at our last expression for this episode, which
also, again, means to start something again.

Harp: OK, so the last expression is to wipe the slate clean.

Maura: Yes, to wipe the slate clean.

Harp: This one's a bit complicated so I'm going to say it one more time. To wipe
the slate clean.

Maura: Right. This expression is like the other ones in that it means that you have to
start something again, but it's also a little bit different.

Harp: This expression is a little bit different because with this one, when you're
starting again, you're gonna forget about any of the past problems or
mistakes. You're not gonna think about them, you’re not gonna bring them
up, you're just gonna start fresh.

Maura: Right. When you actually wipe a slate clean, you erase any work, so it's like
you erase any mistakes or problems from the past.

Harp: Yeah, and if you're not familiar with the word slate, a slate is basically just a
small chalkboard. So, the chalkboards that teachers use to write on, it's like
that but it's just smaller.

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Maura: And we don't really use these anymore, which shows that this expression is
kinda old.

Harp: Yeah, definitely it's old.

Maura: Right. In the past, people used to actually write on these small chalkboards,
so if you had some work there and you erased it, you really started again and
you didn't record any of the mistakes or problems that were there before.
You're starting fresh, starting new. So remember, this expression is very
similar to the first two. They both mean to start something again because
there were problems or it wasn't working properly, but to wipe the slate
clean also means that you forget about the mistakes in the past, you kind of
move forward and you don't think about the problems that you had before.

Harp: Exactly. Let's give an example so you can understand this better.

Maura: All right. Now, I just finished my first explanation on this trigonometry. Do you
wanna try a problem and see if you understand what to do now?

Harp: OK, let me try.

Maura: OK.

Harp: I don't get it. I don't understand this math.

Maura: OK, it's OK. Don't get frustrated. Let's wipe the slate clean and I'll give you
a brand new explanation.

Harp: OK, let's start from the beginning.

Maura: All right, you can do it.

Harp: I hate math.

Maura: All right. In this example, we have a tutor and we have a student and the
student had some problems understanding math.

Harp: Yeah. So in this example, the tutor wiped the slate clean and started with a
brand new explanation.

Maura: And this use of to wipe the slate clean is a little bit different, because the
tutor is staying, “Let's forget any mistakes, let's forget any problems that
you've had with your math and let's just start again.”

Harp: Yup. They're going to start from the beginning and forget about what he
explained before.

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Maura: All right. Now, let's give one more example.

Harp: Let's do it.

Harp: Did you hear that Jared and Steve are friends again?

Maura: Oh, really?

Harp: I know. After that huge fight they had, that big disagreement.

Maura: I thought they were never going to be friends again. Jared was so mad.

Harp: I know. Steve was really upset as well.

Maura: So, they just decided to wipe the slate clean and move on?

Harp: Exactly.

Maura: Well, I guess it's better than ending the friendship.

Harp: For sure. They've been friends for a really long time, so that's why they
decided to wipe the slate clean.

Maura: Good for them.

Maura: So, in this case, two friends decided to wipe the slate clean. So it's like they
went back to before the argument happened and they just decided to forget
about that argument, not talk about it anymore, and just continue to be
friends.

Harp: Exactly.

Maura: And this example in particular is one that you could not use the expressions
to go back to the drawing board or to go back to square one. It really
doesn't work, because what's important in this friendship is that they forget
about their mistakes of the past.

Harp: Yes. Very good point Maura.

Maura: Thanks Harp.

Harp: No problem. Should we do a quick recap?

Maura: Let's do it.

Harp: All right. So we started today with to go back to the drawing board.

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Maura: Right. To go back to the drawing board was the first one and then the
second one was to go back to square one.

Harp: And we finished with to wipe the slate clean.

Maura: And remember, you can use these expressions in a casual way, like we did
in the examples, with your friends, or you could use them at school or at
work. Don't forget to also go to our website, Culips.com, C-U-L-I-P-S.com.
And if you're curious about what you get when you become a member,
because maybe you've been listening for a while and you don't really know
what being a member is all about, check it out on our website. You can see
an example of our Learning Materials, which is the transcripts, more detailed
explanations, and a quiz.

Harp: Definitely. And join in on all the fun on Facebook.

Maura: Right. We love talking to you all there. Keep it coming.

Harp: Yeah, we put up some really fun pictures.

Maura: So, we hope you enjoyed this podcast and learned something, too.

Harp: Yes. Bye everyone!

Maura: Goodbye!

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Detailed Explanation
To start fresh
We use to start fresh to explain the meanings of our other expressions. It is an
expression too, but the meaning is much clearer. To start fresh means to start again.
Fresh, in this case, is like new, so you begin like new. This can be used like in the other
expressions where you begin again, or it can be mean that you take a break and then
continue where you stopped with more energy and so feeling fresh.

Here are a couple of examples with to start fresh:

Joanna: I’m tired and we’re not getting anywhere on this project.
Dave: I’m tired too. Let’s go home and start fresh tomorrow.

Tony: This drawing does not look good at all.

Matt: I agree. Let’s get rid of it and start fresh.

To go back to the drawing board

To go back to the drawing board is used when someone begins something again. There
are tons of reasons why someone might need to being something again, but it is most
likely because there are some problems with whatever you’re doing.

Remember that this expression comes from architects. A building is first designed and
drawn on a drawing board. If there are any problems with the building or some
adjustments need to be made, the architect must do a new drawing and make changes.
The architect makes these changes at the drawing board.

Of course, this expression is not just for architects. Now it can be used for anybody when
they have to start something over again.

Here’s one more example with to go back to the drawing board:

Alana: We can’t have Jack’s surprise birthday on March 18. He already has plans to go
away for that weekend.
Luke: OK, back to the drawing board then. What other weekend would be good?

This expression is most often said, like the example above, as a direction: Back to the
drawing board.

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To double-check
To double-check is to check something again, or to check twice. A person may double-
check something for a variety of reasons. Someone might double-check something
because they are worried. A person might double-check something because they do not
remember when they checked the first time. People commonly double-check that the
door to their home is locked, or that the stove is turned off, or that they have their cell
phone with them when leaving a place. People double-check things that are important.

In one of the dialogue examples in this episode, Maura says that they should double-
check the temperature of Bermuda. In their research of Bermuda they checked a lot of
information, but they wanted to check the temperature of Bermuda again to make sure it
would be very warm.

Here are a couple more examples with to double-check:

Justin: Why are you looking out the window?

Mel: I’m just looking because I wanted to double-check that I turned the car lights off.

Harriet: When’s the dinner tomorrow night?

Kyle: I thought it was at 7:30, but I’ll go double-check what I wrote down, just in case I’m
remembering that wrong.

To regroup
To regroup is something that you do in a group! When a group, or even just two people,
that is working on something takes a break and comes back together to continue or to
begin again, this is to regroup.

In this episode, in a dialogue example, Harp says, “Let’s regroup tomorrow.” She means
that they should take a break from planning their trip and meet up again tomorrow to
continue planning.

Here are a couple more examples with to regroup:

Carmen: OK, we all know what we need to do now. Let’s regroup early next week.
Brian: OK. A meeting at 9am on Tuesday works for me.

Ken: I think we have a good plan.

Sarah: Me too, but we’ll need to regroup if our plan doesn’t work.

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To have a quick look
To have a quick look or to have a look means to look. When a person has a look, they
are looking at something for a reason. Using this expression often means that they are
looking at something because they are checking if it is correct, good, or working well. If we
know that something is not working well, a person might have a look to see if they can fix
the problem.

Harp says, “Let me have a quick look” in one of this episode’s dialogue examples
because she wants to check that a marketing plan is done well. When she checks it, she
finds a problem.

Here are a couple more examples:

Brandy: My throat really hurts.

Doctor: Let me have a look.

Victoria: I’ve finished painting the hallway. It looks pretty good!

Ryan: Can I have a quick look?

To go back to square one

Here’s another expression that means to start again. To go back to square one means to
do something over from the beginning. If you think of square two, and square three and so
on, square one is at the beginning.

The origin of this expression might be from the game snakes and ladders. In this game, a
player sometimes has to move their game piece back to square one and play the game
from the beginning again.

Here’s one more example with to go back to square one:

Kyla: Having a baseball theme for Patrick’s party isn’t going to work out. We’ll have to think
of another theme.
Zack: I guess it’s back to square one. How about a football theme instead?

Snakes and ladders

Snakes and ladders, known also as chutes and ladders, is a popular board game
around the world. This is an ancient Indian board game, and it’s most popular with
children, since there are no strategic skills needed to play.

Players take turns rolling dice, and they move their pieces up the board toward the finish
accordingly. If someone lands on a square with a ladder, the person can move up toward
the finish. If someone lands on a square with a snake, or chute, they go back down toward
the beginning of the game board.

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Hopscotch
This is another children’s game played all over the world that is connected to the
expression to go back to square one. Hopscotch is a game most often played on school
grounds, as you need a flat surface to play. You can find hopscotch courts near
playgrounds or children can make their own by drawing on the pavement with chalk. This
game is most often played by girls.

A hopscotch court can have different designs, but they are generally 10 squares. In this
game, there is a stone or something similar tossed onto the first of the squares. The player
then hops through the court, not stepping in the square with the stone. This is played with
the stone being tossed onto every one of the squares.

Whaddaya
Here’s a word malformation that we’ve included to show you how this slang is pronounced.
In English, we often say a bunch of words really fast so that they sound like just one word.
Whaddaya is an example of this. It is the fast way of saying what do you… Since this isn’t
a real word, you could also see it written as whadya or whatdoya, or some other
variation.

Maura says whaddaya when she is giving an example with to go back to square one and
speaking as a native English speaker would. These three words, what do you, could be
pronounced in a slang way in any environment, but you may not want to speak like this if
you want to sound professional or intelligent.

Here's another example with this slang:

Bart: Whaddaya wanna do?

Dean: I don’t know. Whadda you wanna do?

Pfft
This is the sound that Maura makes in an example dialogue when she learns that she
didn’t complete her school assignment properly and now has to begin the assignment
again. This pfft sound is almost never written, but is used when speaking to express
disappointment or annoyance at something. Maura was annoyed that she would have to
redo her school assignment.

Here are a couple more examples when you could use pfft:

Tom: I think we should go do the dishes. There’s a small mountain forming.

Sheila: Pfft. OK.

Miranda: We’re not going to be able to leave when we planned. Sam is going to be here
late.
Carl: All right. Pfft, when can we leave then?

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To wipe the slate clean
Here is the third expression in this episode: to wipe the slate clean. This is another
expression that means to begin again. This expression is a little different from the first two
because this expression also means that when you being again you forget about the
mistakes or problems from before.

As we say in this episode, a slate is a small chalkboard, and when you wipe it clean you
erase what was there before. This is the possible origin of this expression, as people used
to write on slates and if you erased what was on your slate, you could begin again with no
record of what was there before.

Here’s one more example with to wipe the slate clean:

Jonathon: I know we’ve had problems in the past, but I think we should be able to work
together again.
Nicola: Me too. I think we can wipe the slate clean.

Lina: You should wipe the slate clean and try skiing again. It’s been a while.
Oliver: You’re right. I’ll give it another try.

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Quiz
1. Naomi: I need a break from all this work. Let’s _____________________ later this
week.

Please fill in the blank.

a) start ripe
b) start
c) start fresh
d) begin fresh

2. How is the expression to go back to the drawing board usually said?

a) Back to the drawing board.

b) Let’s get going back to the drawing board.
c) Go back to draw on the board.
d) We should go back to board drawing.

3. What is something that is NOT commonly double-checked?

a) a sleeping baby
b) keys in your pocket
c) that the stove is turned off
d) swallowed food

4. Why might someone say that they want to have a quick look?

a) They’re watching a movie.

b) They’re tired.
c) They want to see if something is working properly.
d) They want to take their glasses off.

5. What is another expression that means to start something from the beginning
again?

a) to go back to the first circle

b) to go back to square one
c) to return to the first square
d) to play from square one

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6. Who is most likely to play hopscotch or snakes and ladders?

a) children
b) adults
c) seniors
d) teenagers

7. What does the sound pfft represent?

a) disappointment or annoyance
b) excitement or nervousness
c) sadness or depression
d) none of the above

8. How is the expression to wipe the slate clean different from the others
discussed in this episode?

a) All the mistakes or problems from the past are forgotten.

b) All the mistakes or problems from the past are remembered.
c) All evidence of the mistakes or problems is thrown in the garbage.
d) Everyone cleans before they start again.

9. Which of the following is NOT an expression that means to start from the
beginning again?

a) to go back to the drawing board

b) to go back to square one
c) to regroup
d) to wipe the slate clean

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Answers:
1.c 2.a 3.d 4.c 5.b 6.a 7.a 8.a 9.c

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