up to scratch
sufficient; adequate; of acceptable or satisfactory quality
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Your work is not up to scratch.”
“I hope my driving is up to scratch for the test today.”
“The hotel room was not up to scratch, so we asked for a different one.”
“The chef told the new cook that the soup was not up to scratch because it needed more salt and pepper.”
“After three months of training, my fitness levels are finally up to scratch for the mountain hike next weekend.”
“The committee rejected the proposal because the research methodology failed to meet the standards required to be considered up to scratch.”
Derived from the noun scratch, denoting the line drawn or etched into the turf to mark the starting position of a contest. The term specifically recalls the conventions of early prize-fighting, in which a boxer was required to demonstrate his fitness to continue by walking unassisted to the centre of the ring and placing his foot upon the mark. To be up to scratch was to be physically capable of reaching the line; to fail was to admit defeat.
- 01
chicken scratch
Cramped or illegible handwriting.
- 02
scratch an itch
To satisfy a need or desire.
- 03
scratch beneath the surface
To look or see beyond what is obvious.
- 04
scratch by
To get by; to make ends meet.
- 05
scratch one's head
To puzzle, ponder, or wonder about something.
- 06
scratch one's own itch
To do something out of motivation to solve a personal problem; to take matters into one's own hands.
- 07
scratch that
To disregard, omit, or ignore the previous statement.
- 08
scratch the itch
Alternative form of scratch an itch.
Last updated August 10, 2026