break ground
• do preparatory digging or other work prior to building or planting something.
• "this tractor can break ground in the spring and throw snow in the winter"
• do something innovative and beneficial.
• "it broke ground by holding a national convention to select its candidates last year"
break new ground
• do something innovative that is regarded as an advance or of positive benefit.
• "with the use of computer-generated imagery, the film broke new ground"
