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Up to scratch

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An idiomatic phrase meaning to meet required standards, expectations, or levels of quality, often used in evaluations to confirm adequacy, competence, or acceptable performance.

Detailed Definition
Up to scratch means good enough, acceptable, or meeting the required standard. In poetry, the idiom can describe craft, health, manners, performance, evidence, or moral conduct. Its possible sporting or contest associations make adequacy feel like a line that must be reached. A poet may use it modestly for ordinary competence, or anxiously when judgement looms. The phrase is useful for exploring standards, self-doubt, and the difference between mere acceptability and excellence.
Example
Example in poetry:
A workshop poem might ask whether the revised stanza is finally up to scratch; In a sporting poem, the injured runner must prove he is up to scratch before the race; The phrase means good enough or meeting the required standard; A poet can use it for judgement and craft.
Additional Notes
Up to scratch means meeting the required standard. The phrase likely has sporting or contest associations, where a scratch line marked readiness or position. In poetry, it can describe craft, health, conduct, work, or social acceptability. Students should ask who sets the scratch and whether the standard is fair. It pairs well with examinations, workshops, races, tools, and the anxiety of being judged adequate rather than excellent.
Also Known As
satisfactory
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