cut the mustard

English

Etymology

• Probably from likening the pungency of the spice mustard as a superlative or as something that adds zest to a situation.
• Possibly derived from the idiom 'to pass muster', an expression for assembling military troops for inspection. A troop who has achieved excellent performance in, for example, a room inspection, is allowed to skip, or "cut" having to stand a formal muster or formation and go on liberty early, etc. Usage evidence does not support this derivation.

Verb

cut the mustard (third-person singular simple present cuts the mustard, present participle cutting the mustard, simple past and past participle cut the mustard)

1. (idiomatic) To suffice; to be good or effective enough.

   Give me the bigger hammer. This little one just doesn't cut the mustard.

Usage notes

• This idiom usually appears in negative polarity contexts: “doesn't cut the mustard”, “can't cut the mustard”, and so on.

Synonyms

• (be good enough): hack it, pass muster, be up to par, be up to snuff, make the cut, make the grade

Translations

be good or effective enough

• Arabic: يفي بالغرض‎‎
• German: es bringen

• Russian: потянуть (ru) pf (potjanutʹ)
• Swedish: räcka till, duga (sv)

References

• “Cut the mustard” in Michael Quinion, Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds: Ingenious Tales of Words and Their Origins, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books in association with Penguin Books, 2004, →ISBN.