"do a number on" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does a number on",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "doing a number on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did a number on",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done a number on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> a number on"
      },
      "expansion": "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)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1974 October 29, “Sports: Full-time Franco Busts A Couple, Rushes For 141”, in Pittsburgh Press, retrieved 2010-08-20, page 26",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988 September 25, Chet Currier, “Obstacles remaining in market's path to revival”, in Reading Eagle, USA, retrieved 2010-08-20, page B4",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 August 12, Laura Fitzpatrick, “The Newest Addictions on Campus”, in Time",
          "text": "All-night caffeine-fueled video game binges do \"a number on your body,\" says Essenburg.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To damage; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in."
      ],
      "id": "en-do_a_number_on-en-verb-ck5-fx2J",
      "links": [
        [
          "damage",
          "damage"
        ],
        [
          "treat",
          "treat"
        ],
        [
          "harshly",
          "harshly"
        ],
        [
          "ill",
          "ill"
        ],
        [
          "effect",
          "effect"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To damage; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "take its toll"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "do a number on"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "does a number on",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "doing a number on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "did a number on",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "done a number on",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "do<does,,did,done> a number on"
      },
      "expansion": "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)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English informal terms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1974 October 29, “Sports: Full-time Franco Busts A Couple, Rushes For 141”, in Pittsburgh Press, retrieved 2010-08-20, page 26",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1988 September 25, Chet Currier, “Obstacles remaining in market's path to revival”, in Reading Eagle, USA, retrieved 2010-08-20, page B4",
          "text": "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.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 August 12, Laura Fitzpatrick, “The Newest Addictions on Campus”, in Time",
          "text": "All-night caffeine-fueled video game binges do \"a number on your body,\" says Essenburg.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To damage; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "damage",
          "damage"
        ],
        [
          "treat",
          "treat"
        ],
        [
          "harshly",
          "harshly"
        ],
        [
          "ill",
          "ill"
        ],
        [
          "effect",
          "effect"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(informal) To damage; to treat harshly; to produce ill effects in."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "take its toll"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "do a number on"
}