up to scratch

English

Etymology

From scratch in the sense of a starting line, as in boxing.

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Adjective

up to scratch

  1. (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

See also
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