a return to the situation you were in at the beginning of a project, task, etc., because you have made no real progress :
If this suggestion isn't accepted, we'll be back to square one.
a return to the situation you were in at the beginning of a project, task, etc., because you have made no real progress :
If this suggestion isn't accepted, we'll be back to square one.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005