up to the mark
Preserved but no longer current.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “up to the mark” mean?
Generally used in the negative; as, "Not quite up to the mark," not good enough, not up to the standard fixed by the assay office for gold and silver articles; not quite well.
Is “up to the mark” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.