"Take it from the top" is often used in musical rehearsals to mean "start at the beginning." Where did this phrase come from?
Learn English – the origin of the phrase “take it from the top?”
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Best Answer
Here's what the Oxford English Dictionary says:
However, Robert S. Gold's A Jazz Lexicon (1964, read online) says it's earlier by a few years:
This also points out it can mean not only to start at the beginning, but also to keep going until you get to the end; to initiate a full run-through.