put two and two together
verb1
Idiomatic To figure something out; to deduce or discern something.
- We didn't tell our friends that we were dating, but I think they put two and two together.
- He prided himself on his power of observation and the accuracy of the deductions which resulted from it—a detail of his business. "It's nothing more than using one's eyes and putting two and two together," he would modestly declare, when he wished to be deprecatory rather than impressive […]1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
1 more example
- “I say,” said Mr. Farringdon, suddenly putting two and two together, “are you the Miss Vane? The novelist . . . You are! […]”1935, Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night:
- Derived terms
- put two and two together and make five
- Related terms
- connect the dots