summing-up

The teacher writes a summing-up of the lesson on the board.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A summary or recapitulation: "summing-up" refers to a concise restatement of the main points of an argument, discussion, or presentation, often given at the end.
   • A final statement in a legal trial: In law, a "summing-up" is the judge's speech to the jury before they deliberate, summarizing the evidence and legal principles.

Usage Examples

• General summary:

  • The professor gave a brief summing-up of the lecture's key concepts. (A concise restatement of the main ideas.)
  • After the debate, each candidate offered a final summing-up of their positions. (A concluding summary of their arguments.)

• Legal context:

  • The judge's summing-up lasted nearly an hour, clarifying the evidence for the jury. (The judge's final instructions before jury deliberation.)
  • In his summing-up, the judge reminded the jury to consider only the facts presented. (The judge's formal summary in a trial.)

Advanced Usage

• "a summing-up speech": a formal concluding statement, especially in legal or parliamentary settings.

  • The barrister delivered an eloquent summing-up speech to the court. (A final argument summarizing the case.)

• "to give a summing-up": to provide a final overview or assessment.

  • The manager gave a summing-up of the project's progress at the end of the meeting. (A concluding evaluation.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sum up (verb phrase): to summarize or conclude.
  • To sum up, we need more time to complete the task. (To conclude briefly.)
• Summation (noun): a formal summary, often used in legal or mathematical contexts.
  • Her summation of the argument was clear and concise. (A final summary.)
• Summarize (verb): to give a brief statement of main points.
  • He summarized the report in a few sentences. (To condense information.)

Synonyms

• Recapitulation: a formal restatement of key points.
• Synopsis: a brief overview or outline.
• Abstract: a condensed version of a longer text.
• Primer: a basic introductory summary.

Phrasal Verbs

• Sum up: to give a concise summary.
  • The teacher summed up the lesson in five minutes. (Concluded the lesson with a brief review.)
• Wrap up: to bring to a conclusion, often with a summary.
  • Let's wrap up the discussion with a quick summing-up. (Conclude with a final overview.)

Related Idioms

• To make a long story short: to conclude a narrative with a summary.
  • To make a long story short, we won the competition. (To summarize briefly.)
• In a nutshell: expressed very concisely.
  • In a nutshell, the project failed due to poor planning. (In summary.)