Some people get great joy and satisfaction from doing things by themselves . That is why DIY , or do-it-yourself , projects are so popular . Such projects became even more popular during the coronavirus health crisis . Another activity became popular -- baking . I am not talking about opening a box of cake mix , stirring in some water and baking it in the oven . I'm sure that it would still taste good . But it would not be completely homemade . You used a cake mix you bought at the store . In other words , you did not make the cake “from scratch .” That is the expression we are going to talk about today – from scratch ! Let's continue with another baking example . I love to make bread from scratch . I measure out the flour , salt , sugar and yeast . I add some water and then knead the mixture into dough , which is the word for uncooked bread . It is so much fun . And , in my opinion , making it from scratch creates the tastiest bread . To create something from scratch is to make it without any ready-made ingredients or materials . Let's say you want to build a greenhouse for your plants . You could buy one . But it might cost a lot of money . So , you decide to build it from scratch . You build it from the ground up with the most basic materials . Starting from scratch can also mean starting something over from the beginning . For example , a group of people want to start a reading program for children . But after hours and hours of planning , they have not decided anything . They thought of many good ideas , but those ideas do not seem to work well together . And the heart of the project has been lost . So , someone suggests , “Hey , why don't we start from scratch and simplify our ideas .” Starting from scratch is often the only way to more forward once a project gets really complex . You can start many things from scratch – from a reading program to your career . If you start your career from scratch , you start over and do something new . After many years of being a lawyer , my friend started her career over from scratch and became a video game developer . Or you could continue the same career but in a new way or in a new place . Here's another example . A friend of mine wanted to re-start his singing career . He was living in Chicago but did not find success there . So , he moved to Pittsburgh and started his singing career over from scratch . It seems to have worked because he is doing really well in that city . Some word experts say the expression “from scratch ” comes from foot races . The “scratch ” used to mean the line scratched in the ground as the starting line for the race . All the runners would begin with their toes on the scratched line . The term also is used in cricket and boxing . In fact , it may have been used in those sports first . Experts often do not agree on word origins . But don't let that stop you from using “from scratch .” Use the expression the next time you talk about doing something yourself or starting something from the beginning .