up to par

Idioms  

1. Also,. Satisfactory, up to a given standard, as in She didn't feel up to par today so she stayed home, or I'm sure he'll come up to scratch when the time comes, or She's up to snuff again. Nearly all the versions of this idiom come from sports, par from golf, scratch and mark from boxing (after being knocked down a fighter had eight seconds to make his way to a mark scratched in the center of the ring), and speed from racing. However, the allusion in the variant with snuff, which dates from the early 1800s, has been lost.

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Example Sentences

“We didn’t play up to par in the trenches,” Skipper said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025

Owners should declutter their space, ensure that photos of the property are up to par, eliminate any unsavory smells, and consider if their home would benefit from professional staging, agents say.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

"It obviously was not the result I wanted, but of course in the first couple of sets the level of tennis wasn’t up to par from my side," Djokovic said.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2024

He said his supervisors told him his “performance” was not up to par.

From Washington Times • Jun. 21, 2023

It makes me feel a little intimidated—like, I wonder if she thinks that my playing is not quite up to par.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• normal
• reasonable
• wise