How to say "process of elimination" in Japanese?

[shimewaza]

I was wondering how to say "process of elimination" in Japanese. After a little searching I came across the word 消去法. It seems to fit the bill as far as meaning but is this expression familiar to the average Japanese? I tried using it in a conversation in a form like "それを消去法で考えてみると。。。” but the Japanese native speaker I was talking to didn't know what it meant. Is there another more common way to say "process of elimination"?

[becki_kanou]

It seems to be a pretty common phrase to me. I use it when explaining TOEIC strategy to my students and they've all understood it with no trouble. Is it possible it was pronunciation/intonation problem? (しょうきょほうvs.しょきょうほetc.) Or maybe your native speaker just happened to be someone who didn't know the expression?

[Hyperworm]

I've encountered the word myself plenty of times when playing the Professor Layton games in Japanese.

[becki_kanou]

I've encountered the word myself plenty of times when playing the Professor Layton games in Japanese.

<threadjack>Ooh! Another Layton fan! I love Layton! Except those darned slider puzzles; I suck at them.</threadjack>