"... from scratch" Idiom Meaning, Origin & History | Superduper English Idioms
0:00 - How to Say, “... from scratch.”
0:36 - Examples of “... from scratch.”
1:18 - Meaning of “... from scratch.”
2:04 - Origin of “... from scratch.”
3:39 - Similar idioms in other languages.
5:19 - More Examples of “... from scratch.”
6:09 - Conclusion
“... from scratch.”
If someone says that they’re doing or making something “from scratch”, it means that they have no materials or ingredients prepared whatsoever.
This idiom is exceedingly common in all dialects of English; it’s so often used, to the point that most native speakers may not realize it’s an idiom at all!
“I made the kimchi from scratch!” you might tell your roommate after they ask you where you bought the delicious Korean condiment.
Maybe your teenage daughter’s friends are complimenting your sewing skills, “Your mom’s based. She made that dress for you from scratch? That’s so dope!”
“Well, it looks like we’re going to have to start from scratch,” your partner might say after a devastating fire burned your house down.
As you can see, if something is done or made “from scratch”, it means that it was done right from the very beginning or made using only basic ingredients.
There are, of course, differences in interpretation about what constitutes “from scratch”. A pizza where you made the dough is definitely “from scratch”, while a frozen pizza is definitely not from scratch. On the other hand, a pizza made using premade dough would also probably be defined as “from scratch”.
The origin of the idiom, “from scratch”, comes from sports and most likely from the English sport of cricket or boxing. You see, the batter and bowler in cricket would stand at “creases” scratched into the ground, and boxers would stand with their toes behind a scratch in the ground when facing off.
Another explanation of the origin of the idiom is that for foot races, lines would be scratched in the ground to indicate the starting line. Racers at a disadvantage would be allowed to start beyond the “scratch”, while racers with no disadvantage would start at the scratch.
“Scratch” is still used in the sports of golf and bowling, but how did it come to be used for food preparation? Well, when canned food and boxed mixes were becoming popular around the mid-20th century…
… the New York Times wrote on December 10, 1946, “the old-fashioned style of cooking—from scratch, as it were, without frozen or canned products—is on the wane.”
Since not all cultures share the same traditional sports, you will find similar idioms in other languages to be quite different.
In Korea, you would say that you “run without a handicap”, which aligns well with this idiom’s sports origins - a handicap being a disadvantage, of course.
You would “start from the head” in Taiwan or China; but in business, you’d start with “white hands” - an allusion to having nothing in your hands (no family money, no connections) when you start a business.
In Russian, you might say that you “start from an empty place”.
You’d do something “from the first step”, in a Spanish-speaking region.
Whether you’re taking the first step, starting from the head or running without a handicap, there’s a certain pride in being able to say that you did or made something from scratch.
Undoubtedly, you also learn a lot more about something when you start from scratch.
“I was today years old when I found out that you could make yogurt from scratch instead of buying it,” your 30-something cousin might be saying.
Perhaps your grandpa is encouraging you not to skip a university education, “When I first came to this country, I had to start from scratch, but you have the advantage of getting a good education.”
“We have to start again from scratch? I can’t even,” your classmate might be upset that your group misunderstood the assignment.
So, the next time that you have to do or make something from the start, beginning or onset, without anything prepared, premade or prior advantage, just say that you’re doing it “from scratch” or “starting from scratch”.
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References:
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/s...
https://english.stackexchange.com/que...
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/6...
https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/20...
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/idiom/...