Making Things 'from Scratch'
2021-04-04
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Some people get great joy and satisfaction from doing things by themselves.
3That is why DIY, or do-it-yourself, projects are so popular.
4Such projects became even more popular during the coronavirus health crisis.
5Another activity became popular -- baking.
6I am not talking about opening a box of cake mix, stirring in some water and baking it in the oven.
7I'm sure that it would still taste good.
8But it would not be completely homemade.
9You used a cake mix you bought at the store.
10In other words, you did not make the cake "from scratch."
11That is the expression we are going to talk about today - from scratch!
12Let's continue with another baking example.
13I love to make bread from scratch.
14I measure out the flour, salt, sugar and yeast.
15I add some water and then knead the mixture into dough, which is the word for uncooked bread.
16It is so much fun. And, in my opinion, making it from scratch creates the tastiest bread.
17To create something from scratch is to make it without any ready-made ingredients or materials.
18Let's say you want to build a greenhouse for your plants. You could buy one.
19But it might cost a lot of money.
20So, you decide to build it from scratch.
21You build it from the ground up with the most basic materials.
22Starting from scratch can also mean starting something over from the beginning.
23For example, a group of people want to start a reading program for children.
24But after hours and hours of planning, they have not decided anything.
25They thought of many good ideas, but those ideas do not seem to work well together.
26And the heart of the project has been lost.
27So, someone suggests, "Hey, why don't we start from scratch and simplify our ideas."
28Starting from scratch is often the only way to more forward once a project gets really complex.
29You can start many things from scratch - from a reading program to your career.
30If you start your career from scratch, you start over and do something new.
31After many years of being a lawyer, my friend started her career over from scratch and became a video game developer.
32Or you could continue the same career but in a new way or in a new place.
33Here's another example.
34A friend of mine wanted to re-start his singing career.
35He was living in Chicago but did not find success there.
36So, he moved to Pittsburgh and started his singing career over from scratch.
37It seems to have worked because he is doing really well in that city.
38Some word experts say the expression "from scratch" comes from foot races.
39The "scratch" used to mean the line scratched in the ground as the starting line for the race.
40All the runners would begin with their toes on the scratched line.
41The term also is used in cricket and boxing.
42In fact, it may have been used in those sports first.
43Experts often do not agree on word origins.
44But don't let that stop you from using "from scratch."
45Use the expression the next time you talk about doing something yourself or starting something from the beginning.
46And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
47Until next time -- I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Some people get great joy and satisfaction from doing things by themselves. That is why DIY, or do-it-yourself, projects are so popular. 3Such projects became even more popular during the coronavirus health crisis. Another activity became popular -- baking. 4I 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." 5That is the expression we are going to talk about today - from scratch! 6Let'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. 7To create something from scratch is to make it without any ready-made ingredients or materials. 8Let'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. 9Starting 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." 10Starting from scratch is often the only way to more forward once a project gets really complex. 11You 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. 12Or you could continue the same career but in a new way or in a new place. 13Here'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. 14Some word experts say the expression "from scratch" comes from foot races. 15The "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. 16The term also is used in cricket and boxing. In fact, it may have been used in those sports first. 17Experts 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. 18And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time -- I'm Anna Matteo. 19Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor. 20____________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22bake -v. to cook in an oven using dry heat 23cake mix --n. a mixture bought at a store for making cake 24stir -v. to mix together in a circular movement 25yeast -n. a kind of fungus used in making bread and alcoholic drinks 26knead -v. to prepare dough by mixing flour and water with your hands and pressing it together 27ingredient -n. one of several materials used to make a kind of food 28greenhouse -n. a structure with clear, glass or plastic, walls used for growing plants 29career -n. a job or profession that someone has for a long time 30origin -n. the point or place where something begins or is created 31We want to hear from you. Have you heard the term "from scratch" before? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.