Dictionary

do a number on en · VERB

Meanings

1. (idiomatic, informal) To damage, especially to a significant extent; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.
   • Your harsh words could do a number on my mental health.
   • Hopes have faded lately on Wall Street. . . . "This market is really doing a number on both professionals and the public alike," said Sam Weinstein in his investment advisory letter. 1988 September 25, Chet Currier, “Obstacles remaining in market's path to revival”, in Reading Eagle, USA, retrieved 20 Aug 2010, page B4:
   • He's a mean boss who really does a number on his employees.
   • Last night, Harris went the distance and did a number on the Falcons, running for a career-high 141 yards while carrying the ball more often than he ever has. 1974 October 29, “Sports: Full-time Franco Busts A Couple, Rushes For 141”, in Pittsburgh Press, retrieved 20 Aug 2010, page 26:
   • "No, that won't work." Reynders sighed, not in frustration — she was an excellent pedagogue, and never got frustrated while instructing — but in mental exhaustion. This project was testing the limits of what she could handle, in her state, though that was nothing compared to the number it was doing on Udo's head. "But it doesn't need to work. ATCP doesn't ossify, that's why it's armageddon-proof. We'd never be able to make this function if we were using standard protocols." 2023 September 24, HarryBlank, “Working Wonders”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 25 May 2024:
   • Years of smoking did a number on her lungs.
   • All-night caffeine-fueled video game binges do "a number on your body," says Essenburg. 2007 August 12, Laura Fitzpatrick, “The Newest Addictions on Campus”, in Time:
   • Donald J. Trump told an interviewer in 1988 that if Iran attacked U.S. forces, “I’d do a number on Kharg Island. I’d go in and take it.” 2026 March 17, Anton Troianovski, Rebecca F. Elliott, Peter Eavis, quoting Donald Trump, “Kharg Island Is an Appealing Target for Trump, With High Risks”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

Forms

Synonyms

take its toll

Translations (4)

bg изиграя номер (Translations) · es dañar a (Translations) · es arruinar a (Translations) · bg изигравам номер (Translations)