cut the mustard

Definition

To achieve the expected standard; to be effective or good enough; to suffice.

Etymology

From cut (“to exhibit (a quality)”) + the + mustard (“(originally US slang) something adding spice or zest to a situation; something setting the standard”).

Example Sentences

• "Give me the bigger hammer. This little one just doesn’t cut the mustard."
• "By nature and doctrines I am addicted to the habit of discovering choice places wherein to feed. So I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard. I found a restaurant tent just opened up by an outfit that had drifted in on the tail of the boom."
• "[I]f a man gets a loan and over a period of years he has demonstrated that he cannot cut the mustard, how is he going to demonstrate it in a period of 12 months?"