put two and two together
Related to put two and two together: play second fiddle, down in the mouth
put two and two together
To determine, guess, or infer something from the available evidence, especially something that is very obvious or easy to guess. I think he put two and two together and realized that John had been stealing from him this whole time. When I saw the articles about the stolen semi truck and the escaped convict, it didn't take long to put two and two together.
See also: and, put, together, two
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
put two and two together
to figure something out from the information available. Well, I put two and two together and came up with an idea of who did it. Don't worry. John won't figure it out. He can't put two and two together.
See also: and, put, together, two
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
put two and two together
Draw the proper inference from existing evidence, as in Putting two and two together, it's not hard to guess who will be chosen for the lead role in the play . [Mid-1800s]
See also: and, put, together, two
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
put two and two together
COMMON If you put two and two together, you correctly guess the truth about something from the information that you have. I could see he had put two and two together. Like me he had guessed what the police were searching for. She saw reports in the Press about the runaway Major and it didn't take much to put two and two together. Note: If you say that someone puts two and two together and makes five or puts two and two together and gets five, you mean that they guess something more exciting or interesting than the truth. Mr Lane's solicitor said after the case that the police had put two and two together and made five.
See also: and, put, together, two
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
put two and two together
draw an obvious conclusion from what is known or evident.An extension of this phrase is put two and two together and make five , meaning ‘draw a plausible but incorrect conclusion from what is known or evident’.
See also: and, put, together, two
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
put ˌtwo and ˌtwo toˈgether
guess the truth from what you see, hear, etc: He’s inclined to put two and two together and make five (= make an incorrect guess from what he sees, hears, etc.).See also: and, put, together, two
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
put two and two together
To draw the proper conclusions from existing evidence or indications.
See also: and, put, together, two
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
put two and two together, to
To draw conclusions from the data available. This analogy to simple arithmetic suggests that the facts lead to a simple and obvious deduction. The term dates from the nineteenth century. Thackeray used it in The Newcomes (1855): “Putting two and two together, as the saying is, it was not difficult for me to guess who the expected Marquis was.”
See also: and, put, two
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- put two and two together, to
- guess at
- guess at (something)
- relate (something) to (something)
- at a guess
- a stab in the dark
- what do I know
- What does (one) know?