Figure, Figuring, Go Figure

The word "figure" has several different meanings in the English language, let’s examine them. The first definition of the word "figure" has to do with numbers. All numbers which contain the digits 0 through 9 are automatically called figures.

The company figures that they can save millions of dollars each year if they move their factory to that new country | foto: Profimedia.cz

Angličtina na iDNES.cz
VŠECHNY LEKCE ZDE

---

---

Examples: "He gave me a figure of 100,000 Czech crowns to buy that new car" or "That manager is paid a lot of money by the company, he earns a six figure salary."

Figures, Figure Out
When you figure out something, or figure something out, this means that you are analyzing it or studying it or making some sort of calculations or doing what is called "figuring." When you are figuring, it is only then that you have figured it out.

Examples: "The company figures that they can save millions of dollars each year if they move their factory to that new country" or "He figures that it will take him six months before he starts to realize the new savings from his increased salary."

Notice that when something "is figured" that it is calculated or at least processed or thought through in the human mind. While machines can also "figure things out," when they are doing this we usually say instead that it is processing or calculating or is busy analyzing.

Go Figure
When you use the expression "go figure" this means that you really do not understand something. Example:

"I don’t understand how John could have failed that test. He knows this subject very well, go figure."

                     Joke of the Day

Two men were in a Czech pub with their pets, when one says to the other, "That’s the ugliest looking pink dog I’ve ever seen. I’ll bet you 5,000 Czech crowns that my Rottweiler can beat up your dog anytime."

After agreeing to the bet, the man unchains his dog, who immediately goes over to the pink animal to try and bite it.

After perhaps 10 seconds, the Rottweiler loses badly, and runs away crying.

Shocked, its owner asks just what kind of dog the man has.

"I don’t know," replied the man, "before I cut its tale off and painted it pink, it was just like any other alligator!"

Angličtina vychází od pondělí do pátku.

Najdete ji také v bezplatném deníku Metropolitní expres.

Kalovi pište na adresu: [e-mail]