do a number on

Verb

do a number on (third-person singular simple present does a number on, present participle doing a number on, simple past did a number on, past participle done a number on)

1. (informal) To damage; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in.

   Synonym: take its toll

   • 1974 October 29, “Sports: Full-time Franco Busts A Couple, Rushes For 141”, in Pittsburgh Press, retrieved 20 Aug. 2010, page 26:

     Last night, Harris went the distance and did a number on the Falcons, running for a career-high 141 yards while carrying the ball more often than he ever has.

   • 1988 September 25, Chet Currier, “Obstacles remaining in market's path to revival”, in Reading Eagle, USA, retrieved 20 Aug. 2010, page B4:

     Hopes have faded lately on Wall Street. . . . "This market is really doing a number on both professionals and the public alike," said Sam Weinstein in his investment advisory letter.

   • 2007 August 12, Laura Fitzpatrick, “The Newest Addictions on Campus”, in Time:

     All-night caffeine-fueled video game binges do "a number on your body," says Essenburg.

   • 2023 September 24, HarryBlank, “Working Wonders”, in SCP Foundation‎, archived from the original on 25 May 2024:

     "No, that won't work." Reynders sighed, not in frustration — she was an excellent pedagogue, and never got frustrated while instructing — but in mental exhaustion. This project was testing the limits of what she could handle, in her state, though that was nothing compared to the number it was doing on Udo's head. "But it doesn't need to work. ATCP doesn't ossify, that's why it's armageddon-proof. We'd never be able to make this function if we were using standard protocols."