puts two and two together
Connects the dots
To put two and two together is to draw an obvious conclusion from available evidence: When she saw the lipstick on his collar and smelled perfume, she put two and two together.
The phrase implies the inference requires no great leap—the facts practically announce themselves.
Someone who can't put two and two together lacks basic reasoning skills.
- discernmentKeen perception and judgment
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- connecting the dotsFinding relationships between elements
- conclusionEnd or deduction
- drawing conclusionsForming judgments from evidence
reading between the lines · deduction · analogy · reasoning · pattern recognition · intuition · mental leap · understanding · figuring it out · analysis · contextualization · assimilation · clue · synthesis · critical thinking · judgment · comprehension · explanation