[Ads-l] chalk it down

[Mark Mandel]

Instead of the usual "chalk it up to X", meaning "attribute it to X".
Probably a blend of "chalk it up to" and "put it down to".

The sentence:
He explains that their goal will be to see if they can replicate the
recording or find a logical explanation for the video before chalking it
down to paranormal activity.

>From *Baby Keeps Waking Up With Scratches, Then Mom Spots Ghostly Figure On
Camera*

https://www.obsev.com/life/baby-wakes-with-scratches-all-over/18/

There are a number of articles on the web about the alleged incident;
search for "Joshua Higgins and Heather Brough". The earliest I have found
is
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national/michigan-couple-says-ghost-seen-on-nanny-cam-scratched-daughter
.
That's the incident, not the expression, which I can't find a date for
anywhere. And since it's not in quotation marks, it could just as easily
have been the writer's choice.

Mark A. Mandel

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