Do your math

[kumarawin]

I have very frequently heard the phrase "do your math" or "If you do your math correctly ..........", etc., but I have not found this phrase/idiom in any of the dictionaries. Is it a standard phrase; can I use it without fear of conveying wrong meaning.

 

[Rover_KE]

The phrase you should be looking for is do the math(s) (the 's' is used in BE).

 

[Boris Tatarenko]

Does this idiom mean "figure out"?

 

[Matthew Wai]

My Oxford dictionary reads "to think carefully about something before doing it...".

Not a teacher.

 

[Barb_D]

I'd say it's more literal than figurative.

For example, if you're considering two houses and one has a lower selling price, you might say it's cheaper. But then you look at local taxes, whether there is a neighborhood association fee, how much you might have to pay for snow plowing service each winter, or lawn care costs (even if you do it yourself), and you might find that one house is actually a lot more expensive. We have to do the math to see which one is a better deal.

 

[SoothingDave]

There are literal and figurative uses.

 

[Matthew Wai]

The literal one is "do the calculation", correct?

 

[Tdol]

The phrase you should be looking for is do the math(s) (the 's' is used in BE).

In this expression, I hear the math being used a lot in BrE, though in other cases it's still maths.

 

[emsr2d2]

In this expression, I hear the math being used a lot in BrE, though in other cases it's still maths.

I agree. We appear to have adopted the phrase in its entirety from AmE. I have never heard anyone say "Do the maths". I have only heard the original version "[You] do the math", even from BrE speakers.

 

[5jj]

I'm a 'maths' man.

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

I am English and I have never heard "Do the math" said by anyone other than an AmE speaker. I've obviously been away too long.

 

[Barb_D]

I think the figurative meaning is close to "do the real analysis required, using all the facts, rather than making a decision based on your instinct or what first appearances may suggest."

It's pretty close to the literal meaning, but it's not necessarily a column of numbers to review. Of course, the literal meaning is not simply a column of numbers to sum either.

 

[SoothingDave]

I think the figurative meaning is close to "do the real analysis required, using all the facts, rather than making a decision based on your instinct or what first appearances may suggest."

It's pretty close to the literal meaning, but it's not necessarily a column of numbers to review. Of course, the literal meaning is not simply a column of numbers to sum either.

It can be a sarcastic or facetious invitation for someone to think about a situation.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I my experience, "do the math" (as an idiom) is more common without numbers. It is about figuring something out.

Joe: Did John break up with Maria?
Dave: He has been to this bar three times this week and each time he left with a different girl. Do the math.

 

[Tdol]

I am English and I have never heard "Do the math" said by anyone other than an AmE speaker.

You will, Roman, you will. ;-)