up to scratch
English edit
Etymology edit
From scratch in the sense of a starting line, as in boxing.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Adjective edit
- (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.