Back to what?

I start this post with intention of getting some answers. This is because I don't have those answers with me right now. But we shall see about that.

When you start with one thing in mind, and try to get something else out of it over time, you are taking it through some transfer function or the other. In this process, you expect something to come out.

If things don't change as you wished, it means that the transfer function is actually unity.

Then is the time you exclaim, well, we are back to square one. This must be primarily because square of one is one (again).

True.

But then, why back to square one?

Why not back to square zero? Mathematically, it's a correct question. Logically, not.

Maybe you started with one thing, and not with zero things.

Similarly, when we say, oh, that was done at eleventh hour, we mean that it was done at the last moment.

Again, why don't we say that it was done at twenty third hour?

No answers as such.

So we are back to square one.