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Know the score

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An idiomatic phrase meaning to grasp true circumstances, understand underlying reality, or perceive accurately; game-scoring metaphor used in poetry to convey situational awareness, honest assessment, or unvarnished truth through competitive-tabulation imagery emphasizing factual clarity.

Detailed Definition
Know the score means to understand the real situation, especially the practical rules, hidden motives, risks, or social realities involved. In poetry, the idiom can characterise worldly knowledge, disillusionment, survival, or streetwise perception. Its musical and sporting associations make it flexible: to know the score is to read the pattern of play or performance. A poet may use it for speakers who are no longer innocent, who recognise power, betrayal, desire, or danger beneath polite appearances.
Example
Example in poetry:
A streetwise poem might say the old fiddler knows the score before the cards are dealt; In a political satire, the servant knows the score while the masters keep pretending; The phrase means to understand the real situation; A poet can use it to suggest experience and worldly wisdom.
Additional Notes
Know the score means understand the real situation, rules, facts, or power relations. The phrase comes from games, sport, or music, where the score records structure and outcome. In poetry, it can give a speaker worldly awareness or weary cynicism. Students should notice the double resonance: score may mean points in a contest or a musical text. The idiom suits poems about experience, social games, and hidden rules.
Also Known As
Know the ropes
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