close enough for government work
English
editEtymology
editOriginally nonironic (meaning good enough to meet especially high standards); later evolved to mean good enough, though only barely.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Adjective
editclose enough for government work (not comparable)
- (US, idiomatic, humorous, derogatory) Adequate: acceptable as government work, imperfect but not worth the time nor effort of improving.
- (Canada, idiomatic, humorous) Acceptable: equivalent to government work, neither worse nor better.