from scratch
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms:
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from scratch
From the very beginning, from the outset; from nothing. For example, I knew we'd have a problem from scratch. Similarly,
to start from scratch means "to start from the very beginning," as in After the business failed, they decided to reorganize and start from scratch. This term comes from racing, where a competitor starts from the line scratched into the ground (whereas others may start ahead with a handicap). [Mid-1800s] Also see
from the ground up; from the word go.
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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