verb (U.S. colloquial).—To think; expect; believe; intend; indeed, almost any sense save the legitimate, which is ‘to estimate by calculation.’ It belongs to the same class of colloquialisms as GUESS and RECKON. CALCULATE is sometimes, especially in New England, corrupted into CAL’LATE.
1830. GALT, Lawrie Todd, II., v. (1849), 56. I CALCULATE, that ain’t nothing to make nobody afeard.
1848. J. R. LOWELL, The Biglow Papers. The sarjunt he thout Hosea hed n’t gut his i teeth cut cos he looked a kindo ’s though he ’d jest com down, so he CAL’LATED to hook him in, but Hosy wood n’t take none o’ his sarse….
1851. S. WARNER, Queechy, ch. xix. ‘Your aunt sets two tables, I CALCULATE, don’t she?’
