up to scratch

idiom

chiefly British, informal

: good enough : as good as expected or wanted

—usually used in negative statements

Her performance wasn't up to scratch.

Examples of up to scratch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team quickly realized that holograms were not up to scratch; nor were a host of other technologies. —New York Times, 27 May 2022

Meanwhile, are the new BMW electric cars up to scratch? —Neil Winton, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2021

More renewable energy generation is needed, but if the power grids that carry this clean energy aren’t up to scratch then the investment is pointless. —Ignacio Galán, Fortune, 19 Jan. 2023

That didn’t come up to scratch for the company. —WIRED, 19 Jan. 2023

Although this is essentially a casino brand, the brains at BetRivers have made sure that their sportsbook and mobile app are right up to scratch against the competition. —Sam Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 29 Sep. 2022

Simu Liu wasn't quite up to scratch with his fighting skills before being cast in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. —Jen Juneau, PEOPLE.com, 4 Feb. 2022

Cottontail rabbits mosey in occasionally, too, and in recent years wild turkeys have showed up to scratch, dust and strut. —Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2022

If the idea is that Americans must learn to live with an ever-present Covid-19, there is an emerging consensus that the country has failed to get up to scratch on its testing capability. —Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 20 Dec. 2021