verb
chalk
To attribute something to a particular cause, as in “chalk up to.”
She chalks the delay up to the unusually heavy traffic.
Etymology
Latin calx supplied the material name chalk. Recording amounts or scores in chalk produced chalk up; attributing something to a cause extends that act of entering it against an account.
More examples
- We chalked the mistake up to inexperience.
- Do not chalk every disagreement up to bad intentions.
- He was chalking his poor performance up to fatigue.
Forms
chalk · chalks · chalked · chalking