Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
size of it

size of it

6.8
A short way to say what the situation really is
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : esa es la realidad
  • “She won't be coming to the party?” “No, that's about the size of it.”

Examples

  • If you're saying the company is closing down, then that's the size of it.

  • He asked if I failed the exam, and I had to admit that's the size of it.

  • That's just the size of it!

  • The size of it is hard to comprehend.

  • He asked if I failed the exam, and I had to admit that's the size of it.

  • If you're saying the company is closing down, then that's the size of it.

  • She won't be coming to the party? No, that's about the size of it.

Synonyms

size
vssize of it
  • UK
597 8.0

The real situation or true facts about something

is the fixed phrase used to give that concise summary
as a matter of fact
vssize of it
345 3.0

To say that something is true, often when it is surprising

is used to state the plain summary instead of correcting expectations
the fact is
vssize of it
207 3.3

Says what is really true to correct a wrong idea

is used to state a neutral overall summary of reality
in point of fact
vssize of it
6 5.6

Shows that something is true despite what people thought

is used to state the plain summary rather than contrast

Surface Forms

size of it singular
size of its plural

Morphology

size + of + it

The noun 'size' is used metaphorically here to mean the nature or extent of a situation, so there is a loose motivation from the constituents ('size' → extent; 'of it' → relating to the situation). However the specific idiomatic sense 'that's how things stand' is conventionalized and not an obvious literal composition, so a B1 learner who knows the words would only partially—rather than reliably—derive the meaning.

Etymology

Size of it may come from the idea of actually showing the size of something so people can see the true facts about it. So, saying size of it now means 'that's how things stand'.