chalk up

English

Etymology

Probably from the fact that many problems were figured out using chalk on a chalk board.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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Verb

chalk up (third-person singular simple present chalks up, present participle chalking up, simple past and past participle chalked up)

1. (transitive) To achieve something.
   • 2012 The Economist, Sep 29th 2012 issue, Rural activism: Working the system

     In recent years Mr Li, a divorced farmer with a laptop and internet access, has chalked up some stunning successes in resisting his village officials.

2. (archaic, Australia, slang) To assign a debt to someone.

   Give me another drink and chalk it up to John.

3. (US, slang) To attribute to something, often tangentially.

   I know we lost, but can we chalk it up as a win?

Translations

to achieve something

• French: décrocher (fr), remporter (fr), multiplier (fr), totaliser (fr), engranger (fr), enregistrer (fr)
• Italian: inanellare (it), collezionare (it), infilare (it)
• Russian: записа́ть на свой счёт pf (zapisátʹ na svoj sčot)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "agree or correspond; to be in harmony"

See also

• chalk up to