The term from scratch, meaning “starting with nothing,” comes from 19th century sports
terminology. Before roads (and running tracks) were paved, races had to be held on open
ground. In many cases, the starting line was a scratch in the sand. A runner who had no
advantage or handicap had to start from that line, that is, “from [the] scratch.”
The term scratch has a different sporting connotation nowadays. A “scratch golfer” is
one whose golfi ng handicap is zero.
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