Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 246. The idiom today is pass muster.
Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If something passes muster it is good
enough or acceptable. Yeah. But it's a very formal way of saying it. Let's continue.
The origin of this idiom to pass muster derives from so derives from, comes from
originally Latin. Meaning a showing or display. So somebody gave a showing or
display. In English you know, especially in former times. In English,
muster meant a military assembly. The you know, military gathered together that
was an assembly. Including an inspection. So that maybe a lot of the soldiers were
given an inspection. Therefore to pass muster meant to pass
an inspection. All right. So now this is one of these phrases to pass muster ...
it's one that I probably hear more often in the negative.
I probably hear it more often where somebody says something didn't pass
muster. So it didn't pass the inspection. So it wasn't acceptable. It wasn't good
enough. So yeah, we hear it , it's not like it can't be used in the positive, it can.
I give one example with it and positive. Two in the negative because I think I
hear it more in the negative. than in the positive. Well let's look at the
three examples here. Example number one. The amount of evidence to indict him
doesn't pass muster. Yes. Indict him and you know, officially
charge him, like with a crime. So if the evidence wasn't good enough , they can't
do it. It won't work. It's not worth their time. So it doesn't pass muster. It's not
acceptable. It's not good enough. Well let's look at number two. They didn't
hire him because his fluency in that language didn't pass muster. Yeah. Maybe
they tested him out. They probably told them to come in. Maybe they had somebody
else that was fluent in the language talking to him that language and maybe
he couldn't understand it all or handle it enough. So his ability .. the test when they
were testing and checking his fluency in the language they wanted , it wasn't good
enough. It didn't pass muster. Okay. Let's continue.
The third one. Now this one is you know, is a positive one. His , his finances
passed muster. So they're, they're good enough. They're acceptable. His finances
passed muster they will probably grant him the loan. So maybe this is at a bank,
he applied for a loan and his finances and you know, all his financial records
they passed muster. They're good enough. Okay. Anyway, I hope you got it. I hope it's
clear. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.