What does the idiom cut the mustard mean?
What does “cut the mustard” mean? To cut the mustard is “to reach or surpass the desired standard or performance” or more generally “to succeed, to have the ability to do something.” For instance, Beyoncé really cut the mustard in her new song.
What does act the mustard mean?
to cut the mustard and variants: to come up to expectations, to meet requirements, to succeed.
Where did the phrase cut the mustard originate?
The first recorded use of the phrase is by O Henry in 1907, in a story called The Heart of the West: “I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard”. The modern sense of the idiom is “to succeed; to have the ability to do something; to come up to expectations”.
Is it cut the muster or mustard?
Pass muster is considerably older than cut the mustard, and has been in use since the late 16th century. In earliest uses it typically was written as pass the muster; the muster being referred to here was defined as “formal military inspection.”
What does Bob’s your uncle mean in British slang?
Definition of and Bob’s your uncle British, informal. —used to say that something is easy to do or use Just complete the form, pay the fee, and Bob’s your uncle!
Is the saying cut the muster or cut the mustard?
If someone passes the mustard, remember to say “Thanks.” The good news is that the appropriate choice of words to precede muster and mustard is very clear. One passes muster and cuts the mustard. Pass muster is considerably older than cut the mustard, and has been in use since the late 16th century.
Is it cut the muster or cut the mustard?
The nonstandard form “pass the muster” may be influenced by the unrelated term “cut the mustard,” which has a similar meaning. Don’t believe those who insist that the latter phrase is a mistake for “cut the muster.” And the expression is definitely not “pass the mustard.”
Why do we say for Pete’s sake?
“For Pete’s sake” originated as a substitute for “for Christ’s (or God’s) sake,” and other similar expressions—as using a shortened form of the disciple St. Peter’s name instead was considered less offensive.
Did not pass muster meaning?
Meet a required standard, as in That yard cleanup won’t pass muster with Mom. This expression originally meant “to undergo a military review without censure,” muster referring to an assembling of troops for inspection or a similar purpose. [ Late 1500s]
Why is Fanny your aunt?
The meaning is similar to that of the French expression “et voilà!” or the American phrase “easy as pie”. A phrase with the same meaning is ‘Fanny’s your aunt’. When used together it means complete or the whole lot. If Bob’s your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt you’ve got a full set of relatives and you are complete.
What does the expression dressed to the nines mean?
phrase. If you say that someone is dressed up to the nines or dressed to the nines, you mean that they are wearing very smart or elegant clothes. [informal]