sum

be more/bigger/greater than the sum of its parts

To be something made up of a large collection of things or people in which the total unit is more important, impressive, successful, etc., than its components are individually. America is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. The global social networking site, so intrinsically connected to and supported by users, is certainly more than just the sum of its parts.
See also: big, greater, more, of, part, sum

in sum

As a final brief, concluding point. In sum, if we do not address this issue now, it will become insurmountable in a few years' time.
See also: sum

more/bigger/greater than the sum of its parts

Describes something made up of a large collection of things or people in which the total unit is more important, impressive, successful, etc., than its components are individually. America is certainly bigger than the sum of its parts. The global social networking site, so intrinsically connected to and supported by users, is certainly more than just the sum of its parts.
See also: big, greater, more, of, part, sum

sum total

Everything taken together; the entirety. Your thesis should be the sum total of everything you learned and researched throughout the year. If this is the sum total of your efforts, then we may need to seriously reevaluate your place in this business.
See also: sum, total

sum up

To give a brief and accurate summary, description, assessment, or representation of something; to summarize. A noun or pronoun can be used between "sum" and "up." To sum up, we need to reduce our expenditures and target new markets in order to grow. I feel like the book sums up everything I've been feeling since we moved. I can sum the project up in just three words: "Waste of time."
See also: sum, up

the sum and substance

The central or most important idea, aspect, or part of something; the essence or summary of something. We don't have much time for this board meeting, so let's just get to the sum and substance straight away. The sum and substance of her argument is that a redistribution of wealth would spur the economy into huge gains.
See also: and, substance, sum

zero-sum game

A situation, process, competition, or outcome in which the winner's gain is exactly equal to the loser's loss. Poker is a zero-sum game because the amount of money won by one player is equivalent to the amount lost by the other players.
See also: game
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

sum and substance

a summary; the gist. Can you quickly tell me the sum and substance of your proposal? In trying to explain the sum and substance of the essay, Thomas failed to mention the middle name of the hero.
See also: and, substance, sum

sum (something) up

to give a summary of something. I would like to sum this lecture up by listing the main points I have covered. It is time for me to sum up. She summed up the president's speech in three sentences.
See also: sum, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

sum and substance

The essence or gist of something, as in The sum and substance of their platform is financial conservatism. This redundant expression-both sum and substance here mean "essence"-has probably survived owing to alliteration. Shakespeare used it in The Two Gentlemen of Verona (4:1): "My riches are these poor habiliments [clothes], Of which if you should here disfurnish me, You take the sum and substance that I have."
See also: and, substance, sum

sum total

The entirety, everything, as in I spent all day in the kitchen and the sum total of my efforts is this cake. [Mid-1600s]
See also: sum, total

sum up

Present the substance of, summarize, as in They always sum up the important news in a couple of minutes, or That expletive sums up my feelings about the matter. [Early 1600s]
See also: sum, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a zero-sum game

JOURNALISM
If a situation is a zero-sum game, the advantage that one person gains from it must have an equal disadvantage for someone else. The idea that foreign investment is a zero-sum game — that one country's gain is another's loss — is mistaken. Note: Other nouns are sometimes used instead of game. According to Reed, employee benefits are a zero-sum gain. If costs for one benefit rise, it's often at the expense of another, such as paid vacation and health insurance. Note: A zero-sum game is one in which the winnings and losses of all the players add up to zero.
See also: game
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

be greater/more than the ˌsum of its ˈparts

be better or more effective as a group than you would think just by looking at the individual members of the group: After their victory, the captain was full of praise for his team, saying that it was a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
See also: greater, more, of, part, sum

in ˈsum

(formal) used to introduce a short statement of the main points of a discussion, speech, etc: In sum, there are significant gaps in technological development across countries.
See also: sum
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

sum up

v.
1. To present the substance of something in a condensed form; summarize something: At the end of the radio program, they sum up the day's news. Here's what I learned—I'll sum it up for you. At the end of the lecture, the professor summed up.
2. To describe or assess something concisely: This poem sums up my feelings perfectly.
3. To add some set of numbers together: The teacher challenged the students to sum up the numbers from 1 to 100 as fast as possible. I wrote down all of our expenses for the week and summed them up.
4. To calculate something, especially by addition: We need to sum up our total costs for this trip. I'm sure this answer is correct—I summed it up myself.
See also: sum, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

sum and substance

The total essence of a matter. The sum in this cliché is not really necessary—substance covers the meaning quite well—but the appealing alliteration is probably what helped it survive. Shakespeare used it in Two Gentlemen of Verona (4.1), “My riches are these poor habiliments Of which, if you should disfurnish me, you take the sum and substance that I have.”
See also: and, substance, sum
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • be greater/more than the sum of its parts
  • be more/bigger/greater than the sum of its parts
  • (Someone or something) called, they want their (something) back!
  • be (one's) man/woman
  • be replaced by (someone or something)
  • (one's) moment in the sun
  • tomorrow
  • be in step (with someone or something)
  • a swan song
  • one rotten apple spoils the (whole) barrel
References in periodicals archive
My foodie friends go all the way to Chinatown when hankering for dim sum. Others, frustrated with downtown traffic (and lack of parking space), prefer to dine at Chinese restaurants in hotels.
Best dim sum deal in town
The new tables show that people are living longer, so when the IRS incorporates them, it will increase the cost of lump sums.
Demand for Pension De-Risking Still Strong
"Activity [connected with lump sum windows] increased in 2014 as a confluence of events -- new mortality expectations, increased [Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation] premiums, improved funded status, movement in interest rates, extended funding relief, and additional focus on managing pension risk -- encouraged many plan sponsors to move forward with lump-sum windows," the report states.
Survey: Most lump sums received from 401(k)s below $150K
For those selling annuities, the message is clear: Shift the prospect's focus from the "big" lump sum equivalent number to the prospect's personal monthly expenses.
Let's make a(n annuity) deal!
Those with at least 1 prostate biopsy core of Gleason sum [greater than or equal to]8 and at least 1 prostate biopsy core of Gleason sum [less than or equal to]7 were eligible.
Predicting the Gleason sum of a patient with a prostate biopsy core Gleason [less than or equal to]7 and a prostate biopsy core Gleason [greater than or equal to]8
Second, if you aren't disciplined, you might not be a good candidate for the lump sum. However, if you're self-controlled, one of the benefits of the lump sum is that your sum continues to compound.
Should you choose a lump-sum pension payout? Here's how entrepreneur Ramona Harper decided
Instead, applying Theorem 6.1, there are three terms in the sum:
The topology of the permutation pattern poset
Next, we choose D = dN and set the phase of the two added elements to be equal to P = -[pi] + 1/2 kD sin [[theta].sub.peak] so that the main lobe of the two-element array pattern is aligned to the main lobe of the sum pattern at the target direction and then to set the amplitude of the two added elements, A, to place a null in the direction of the desired signal (i.e., [AF.sub.Diff] [([theta])|[sub.[[theta]=[theta].sub.peak]] = 0).
An alternative method for difference pattern formation in monopulse antenna
For many, the option to take a lump sum at the point of retirement is the most tax-efficient way to access some of their pension fund.
Prudential reports retirement income worries and lump sum regrets for pensioners
A 65-year-old man with a pounds 30,000 pension pot would currently get an income of pounds 1,798.44 per year if they didn't take a lump sum. Taking a lump sum of pounds 7,500 would reduce his yearly income to pounds 1,366.32, just pounds 432.12, or pounds 36.01 a month, less.
Weighing up the ways of spending your pension; Cash point
the challenge it filed against the Bank of Umm Al-Quwain on restoring a sum of
Dubai Court obligates Umm Al-Quwain Bank to return USD 250 mln to Global
We want to find a subset of A for which the sum of its elements (we shall call this quantity a subset-sum) is equal to b (we shall call this quantity the target integer).
An elegant argument that P [not equal to] NP
where x denotes a Dirichlet character modulo q, q [greater than or equal to] 2 is an integer, which is called as a sum analogues to character sums.
On the fourth power mean of a sum analogues to character sums over short intervals
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State, Nigeria, on Thursday, granted bail in the sum of N20 million to Abdullahi Babalele, son-in-law to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Money Laundering: Court Grants Atiku's Son-In-Law N20m Bail
Necessary works are being conducted towards transferring the sum to heirs' bank accounts in the following days.
Ministry: Another 370 heirs of 227 martyrs to be provided with lump-sum payment