Author Topic: A question for language experts  (Read 1102 times)

HoyaSaxa03

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A question for language experts
« on: February 02, 2006, 11:26:00 pm »
taken from tonight's episode of the office ... why the idiom is "below par" used to describe something that is not very good, when it's clearly taken from the game of golf, where the goal of the game is to shoot "below par" ... shouldn't "below par" mean something good?
(o|o)

ggw

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Re: A question for language experts
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2006, 11:33:00 pm »
The golf term is only one of the word's usages.  "Par" has a general meaning of "standard" or "average."  So something "below par" would mean below the standard. Par is also used in finance to indicate the face value of a bond or the fair value of a currency.