Chalk It Up

Chalk It Up Chalk It Up Chalk It Up By Maeve Maddox Having read the post about the expression chock-full, a reader asks, Could you also clarify and explain the origins of â€Å"chalk it up.† I’ve also seen â€Å"chock it up† which I assume is an error.   I’ve also heard â€Å"chop it up† in the same context. The expression â€Å"chalk it up† is one of several English idioms that contain the word chalk. The noun chalk, denoting â€Å"an opaque white soft earthy limestone,† has been in the language since the 10th century. The verb arose from the uses to which chalk can be put, especially for writing, drawing, and marking on a variety of surfaces, from walls to grassy fields. In the past, as now, sports enthusiasts used chalk to mark the field of play and to keep score. Tavern keepers kept track of customers’ accounts by writing amounts owed on the wall or on a slate. Scores for tavern games were also â€Å"chalked up† by the players. Other business owners kept track of accounts in the same way. Amounts owed were â€Å"chalked up.† When a bill was paid, the amount owed was â€Å"chalked off.† Then as now, people sometimes depended upon credit to get by. One of the OED citations given for chalk in the sense of credit is from a song sung by apprentices: â€Å"When we have no mony [sic], We shall find chalk.† Today they might sing, â€Å"When we have no money, We shall find plastic.† Here are a few examples of the use of chalk expressions on the Web: Much of  his  elementary school mischief can be  chalked up  to  boyish enthusiasm. (â€Å"attributed†) I wasnt ready for that so I just  chalked him off  as another friend gone wrong.  (â€Å"dismissed him from my mind†) If it works youll make money, if not,  chalk it up to experience. (â€Å"Consider it to be a lesson learned.†) This is my plan. If  you  can  chalk out  a better, pray  let me  have it. (â€Å"explain, devise†) Many Clouds chalks up win in Grand National (earns) We chalked up his  bad manners  to too much sugar.  (â€Å"attributed†) Our live text reporting on the Conservative Party conference finishes here. But thats not the end of the BBCs coverage by a long chalk.  (â€Å"by any means†) The OED explains the idiom â€Å"by a long chalk† this way: â€Å"in a great degree, by far (in allusion to the use of chalk in scoring ‘points’, etc.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"40 Fish IdiomsDealing With A Character's Internal Thoughts