leave a lot to be desired

English

Alternative forms

• leave much to be desired

Verb

leave a lot to be desired (third-person singular simple present leaves a lot to be desired, present participle leaving a lot to be desired, simple past and past participle left a lot to be desired)

1. (intransitive) To be unsatisfactory; to fail to meet minimal standards of acceptability.
   • 1944 November and December, “Conversion of L.N.E.R. "B16" Class 4-6-0 Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 349:

     The three cylinders of these engines are 18½ in. dia. by 26 in. stroke; and as the three piston valves were all between the frames, it resulted in the monoblock casting being weak, so far as the centre cylinder was concerned, with the result that the life of these castings left a good deal to be desired.

Translations

Translations

• Czech: mít k dokonalosti daleko
• Dutch: te wensen overlaten
• Finnish: jättää toivomisen varaa
• French: laisser à désirer (fr)
• German: viel zu wünschen übrig lassen
• Polish: pozostawiać wiele do życzenia (pl) impf, pozostawić wiele do życzenia pf
• Portuguese: deixar a desejar
• Spanish: dejar mucho que desear

References

• “leave a lot to be desired”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “leave a lot to be desired”, in Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, 1999–present.
• “leave much to be desired”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.