a fresh start
“A fresh start” means a new opportunity with no mistakes/bad things in it yet. We often use this phrase after leaving a bad situation and beginning something new.
After a bad breakup, he decided to move to another city and look for a fresh start.
be/get off to a running start
When something “is off to a running start” or “gets off to a running start,” it means it has a good, fast beginning with a lot of speed and power.
The presidential candidate’s campaign is off to a running start, with a huge rally in the capital city.
start out / start off
Both start out and start off are simply informal ways to say “start.” There is no significant difference between them. Here are some examples:
Let’s start off the project by organizing the tasks.
I had very little experience when I first started out in this job.
start off/get off on the wrong foot
If you “start off / get off on the wrong foot,” it means you make a bad impression or begin a relationship with a conflict or misunderstanding.
During my job interview, I started off on the wrong foot by calling the manager by the wrong name.
a startup
In the world of business, a “startup” is a company that has just begun operating. Startups are usually innovative companies that are trying to do new things, and receive money from private investors to fund their operations.
I like working for a startup because the team is small enough that I can have input into major decisions.
a head start
Getting “a head start” means to get ahead of schedule or to start before other people.
The report isn’t due until next Friday, but I’m going to get a head start on it by doing some research over the weekend.
start a car
To “start a car” means to turn on the engine/motor. We often use this in the negative, when there’s a problem with the engine/motor and the car won’t function.
My car wouldn’t start this morning, so I had to take a taxi to work.
jump-start / kick-start
To “jump-start a car” means to connect the car to another car’s batteries using cables, in order to give a sudden, strong burst of power to the car that is not operating.
More generally, jump-starting or kick-starting a project or progress means to put things in motion when they were previously stopped or slow.
Few people were buying the product, so we put a big advertisement in the newspaper to try to jump-start sales.
start a family
When native English speakers use the expression “start a family,” it means when two people who are in a romantic relationship (usually married) begin to have children for the first time.
We want to buy a bigger house because we’re thinking of starting a family soon.
start over
If you “start over,” it means you begin again – usually because the work you did before failed or had a mistake in it.
Oh no, I put salt instead of sugar into the cake. I’ll have to throw it away and start over.
