chalk up to
Put down to
To chalk up to is to attribute or assign a cause or explanation: I'll chalk it up to bad luck, She chalked his rudeness up to exhaustion.
The phrase suggests accepting an outcome by crediting it to some factor, often as a way of moving past disappointment or confusion.
The image is of recording a score or tally on a chalkboard.
- ascribeAttribute to a cause
- referDirect to another source
- imputeAssign to a cause
- attributeQuality assigned to something
- assignGive as responsibility
pin on · point the finger at · credit · shrug off · lay · put down to · blame · reasoning · justification · rationale · cause · explain away · explanation · pass off as · responsibility · account for · clarification · interpretation