yardstick

American  

[yahrd-stik] / ˈyɑrdˌstɪk /

noun

1. a stick a yard long, commonly marked with subdivisions, used for measuring.

2. any standard of measurement or judgment.

   Test scores are not the only yardstick of academic achievement.

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yardstick British  

/ ˈjɑːdˌstɪk /

noun

1. a measure or standard used for comparison

   on what kind of yardstick is he basing his criticism?

2. a graduated stick, one yard long, used for measurement

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Etymology

Origin of yardstick

An Americanism dating back to 1810–20; yard ¹ + stick ¹

Explanation

A long tool used to measure lengths of up to three feet is called a yardstick. A carpenter carefully measuring lengths of wood before cutting might use a yardstick. A yardstick is basically a long ruler — three times as long, to be specific — with units marked in inches. Most are made of wood, sometimes hinged so they can be folded, and their size makes them ideal for specific tasks in construction and carpentry. The word yardstick is also used figuratively to mean "standard or benchmark." So you might say that your yardstick for success as a gardener is how many tomatoes you pick over the summer.

Example Sentences

This week Handicapper Plaut pored over his form charts for 1920�Man o' War's big year�and came up with a 1920 Yardstick.

From Time Magazine Archive

S. negotiations has been application of the so-called "Hoover Naval Yardstick," a system of evaluating the combatant strengths of fleets in terms of gun power as well as tons.

From Time Magazine Archive

Expansion Committee New York City Yardstick Sirs: I expect almost any day to find some singer calling herself "the original television girl."

From Time Magazine Archive

Reasons: greatest issue will be public ownership of public utilities and extension of present "Yardstick" undertakings.

From Time Magazine Archive

Yardstick children, they tell us, were healthy at first.

From This Crowded Earth by Bloch, Robert

Related Words

• barometer
• benchmark
• criterion
• indicator
• norm