good enough for government work
Meets minimum standards
Good enough for government work means acceptable but not exceptional—meeting minimum standards without extra effort or polish.
The phrase originated as a compliment (government work once implied high standards) but reversed into mild criticism suggesting something is adequate but mediocre: The paint job isn't perfect, but it's good enough for government work.
Often used self-deprecatingly when finishing a task without perfectionism.
- passableMinimally sufficient quality
- adequateBarely meeting standards
- mediocreOf only moderate quality
- sloppyCareless and untidy
- cutting cornersReducing effort improperly
halfhearted · bureaucracy · civil service · paperwork · checkbox · minimum · shortcuts · serviceable · acceptable · red tape · rubber stamp · deadline · overtime · pension · cubicle · nine to five · inefficient · tolerable
good enough for government workexemplary
Serving as ideal model
top-notch · world-class · first-rate · outstanding · gold standard
good enough for government worklabor of love
Work done for fulfillment, not payment
perfectionism · meticulous · painstaking · attention to detail · craftsmanship
good enough for government workprecision engineering
Manufacturing requiring extreme accuracy
zero tolerance · surgical precision · tight tolerances · to the letter · by the book
enough, government, governments, governmental, governmentally, govern, governs, governed, governing