[Idiom] From the ground up vs from the ground

[en_buff]

Hey teachers,

I need some help with the idiom "from the ground up."

Can this idiom be replaced with "from the ground" to mean the same thing, or is "from the ground" a different idiom, if it's an idiom at all.

So here's a little context: This is a great opportunity to explore/check out a new country/town from the ground (up).

Now, specifically in this context, would the sentence make any sense (or have a different meaning) if we remove the "up" part?

Thanks in advance for your help,

 

[SoothingDave]

"From the ground" only makes sense as opposed to, say flying over a town. From the air.

"From the ground up" refers to a process of building and being there from the beginning. That doesn't make sense at all here. "We were able to watch the business grow from the ground up."

 

[en_buff]

Hi Piscean and SoothingDave. Thank you for your insightful and very helpful replies and explanations. I was thinking maybe the phrase would make at least some sense with the meaning of "completely" or "thoroughly," (http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/from+the+ground+up), as in "explore a town thoroughly." Any thoughts?

 

[Polyester]

Piscean,
Why do we omit the word "up" that cause an error?

 

[Matthew Wai]

Why do we omit the word "up" that cause an error?

I advise you not to omit/change anything in an idiom so as to avoid errors, but I am not a teacher.

 

[en_buff]

It doesn't work like that, as the examples in the dictionary you linked to show.

Hi. Then that original sentence is totally hopeless no matter how you look at it, I guess. Thank you a lot for your help again.