Phrase "keeping score at home"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

I saw this phrase in quite a few places ,such as’for those keeping score at home’,‘if you are keeping score at home’,‘for you chemists keeping score at home’,‘The CIA vs.Sen. Graham:how to keep score at home’,etc.I suspected it must be an idiom,but just couldn’t figure out its meaning.Who can help me?Thanks

2

It means just what it says-- maintaining a physical or mental record of developments/progress/etc.

3

Mister Micawber is correct but I’d like to add a thought or two.

I have no definitive source but I suspect this phrase resonates with people who grew up listening to baseball games on the radio. Keeping score at home was a pastime for a lot of folks and special paper pads were printed up just for this purpose.

The game announcers would often say “for those keeping at home…” and clarify something that transpired in the previous play. E.g. If a runner hits the ball and gets to first base it might have been a single, a defensive error, or a “fielder’s choice”. Each of which would affect the batter’s stats in a different way and would have to be recorded differently if you were keeping score.