ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: A head for figures?

Stenka25 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:47:44 GMT

Sorry, it's my mistake to put a sentence which is not on a dicitonary.

It's just my mistake.
Sorry, again.
Thanks all of you.

Re: A head for figures?

Yankee — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:16:33 GMT

It's hard to say why it appears there, Stenka. Maybe it is just an editing error. I also don't understand why it is capitalized.

Re: A head for figures?

Stenka25 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:57:50 GMT

Thanks, Clive.

But what I want to asy is how that meaning comes up in meaning number eight. It's better to come up in number six.

[ I referred the Longman dictionary of Contemporary English. ]
StartFragment>

8 a person in a painting or a model of a person:

• the figure in the background

• A Head for Figures

Re: A head for figures?

Clive — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:22:43 GMT

Hi,

Tom has a head for figures means Tom is good at math, good with numbers.

Clive

A head for figures?

Stenka25 — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:10:54 GMT

StartFragment>

In 'figure' article in a dicitonary, 'a head for figures' come up two times and

6 figures [plural] British English :the activity of adding, multiplying etc numbers [= arithmetic]

• a natural ability with figures

8 a person in a painting or a model of a person:

• the figure in the background

• A Head for Figures

I want to know what 'a head for figures' means?

It seems like the meaning of the expression can be 'be good at arithmetic' in meaning six. But in meaning eight I cannot figure out what the 'a head for figures' refers to. Does it still mean 'be good at arithmetic'?

Thanks in advance.