close enough for government work

English

Etymology

Originally nonironic (meaning good enough to meet especially high standards); later evolved to mean good enough, though only barely.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

close enough for government work (not comparable)

1. (US, idiomatic, humorous, derogatory) Adequate: acceptable as government work, imperfect but not worth the time nor effort of improving.
2. (Canada, idiomatic, humorous) Acceptable: equivalent to government work, neither worse nor better.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:satisfactory