that's about the size of it.

1. That sums up the situation; that's how things are. For example, So he's going to resign next month?—Yes, that's about the size of it, or Mary's applying to all those colleges?—That's about the size of it. A mid-19th century British expression that soon crossed the Atlantic, it appeared in Mark Twain's Tramp Abroad (1880): “‘Bloodshed!’ ‘That's about the size of it,’ I said.”

Example Sentences

“Er, that’s about the size of it.”

From New York Times

Yes, that’s about the size of it.

From The Guardian

Yep, that’s about the size of it.

From Washington Times

He laughed and said: ‘That’s about the size of it.’

From The Guardian

I got up, stumbled to the tent, and that’s about the size of it.”

From Literature