back-of-the-envelope
adjective
: done quickly to provide a rough estimate : not exact
did a back-of-the-envelope calculation
His method is, in effect, a back-of-the-envelope time-and-motion study.—
Ian Stewart
Ian StewartExamples of back-of-the-envelope in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At a price of $30 per month per user, back-of-the-envelope math equates to $3.6 million annually for 10,000 employees.
—Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
Precise figures are tricky to obtain but, according to a back-of-the-envelope calculation by Inogwabini, just a few dozen of the perhaps 300 scientists publishing on conservation topics related to the Congo Basin are from the DRC itself.
—Byemmet Livingstone, science.org, 3 Oct. 2024
Since the Treasury re-introduced the 20-year bond in monthly auctions four years ago, their sale has tacked on roughly $2 billion a year in interest expenses on top of what the government would have otherwise paid, a simple back-of-the-envelope calculation shows.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2024
Maybe the dollars don’t line up as cleanly for the Big Ten Network as our back-of-the-envelope math suggests.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
The problem with this kind of back-of-the-envelope math is that Musk’s assumptions can be off by orders of magnitude.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 3 July 2024
To get a sense of just how big the gains that Collier brushes aside are, consider the following back-of-the-envelope calculation.
—Justin Sandefur, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2013
Based on our back-of-the-envelope math, that should total about $2 million per school over a decade.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
And that back-of-the-envelope calculation may be an underestimate.
—Topher L. McDougal, The Conversation, 20 May 2024
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Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
Precise figures are tricky to obtain but, according to a back-of-the-envelope calculation by Inogwabini, just a few dozen of the perhaps 300 scientists publishing on conservation topics related to the Congo Basin are from the DRC itself.
—Byemmet Livingstone, science.org, 3 Oct. 2024
Since the Treasury re-introduced the 20-year bond in monthly auctions four years ago, their sale has tacked on roughly $2 billion a year in interest expenses on top of what the government would have otherwise paid, a simple back-of-the-envelope calculation shows.
—Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2024
Maybe the dollars don’t line up as cleanly for the Big Ten Network as our back-of-the-envelope math suggests.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 July 2024
The problem with this kind of back-of-the-envelope math is that Musk’s assumptions can be off by orders of magnitude.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 3 July 2024
To get a sense of just how big the gains that Collier brushes aside are, consider the following back-of-the-envelope calculation.
—Justin Sandefur, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2013
Based on our back-of-the-envelope math, that should total about $2 million per school over a decade.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 31 May 2024
And that back-of-the-envelope calculation may be an underestimate.
—Topher L. McDougal, The Conversation, 20 May 2024
Dictionary Entries Near back-of-the-envelope
Cite this Entry
“Back-of-the-envelope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back-of-the-envelope. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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