When you tell a story ab ovo, you’re starting from the very beginning to lay out every detail before diving into the action.
The phrase ab ovo comes from Latin and literally means "from the egg," symbolizing the idea of starting from the very beginning. This term is rooted in ancient literature, where writers like Horace advised telling stories from the beginning to provide full context, rather than starting in the middle of the action. In literature and storytelling, starting ab ovo means laying out all the foundational details before moving forward.