up to scratch
English
Etymology
From scratch in the sense of a starting line, as in boxing.
Pronunciation
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Adjective
up to scratch (comparative more up to scratch, superlative most up to scratch)
- (idiomatic) sufficient; adequate; of acceptable or satisfactory quality
- They decided that his performance was not up to scratch.
- 2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 32:
- But the new trains form just one part of Metro Flow. It's no good having new trains if the network itself isn't up to scratch.
Coordinate terms
Translations
up to par — see up to par