set the bar
Define the benchmark
To set the bar is to establish a standard against which other things will be measured.
The phrase comes from high jump and pole vault, where the bar's height determines what athletes must clear.
Setting the bar high creates demanding expectations; setting it low makes success easier: Her first novel set the bar so high that critics were disappointed by the sequel.
- criterionStandard for judgment
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
- gold standardMeasure of ultimate quality
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
- yardstickThirty-six-inch ruler
measuring stick · baseline · high-water mark · world record · personal best · threshold · gauge · precedent · standard bearer · exemplar · trailblazer · norm · measure · success · level · goal · pioneer · innovator
- Standards & Benchmarksbenchmark, yardstick, gold standard, litmus test, acid test
- success idiomshit the jackpot, strike gold, make it, rags to riches, come out on top
set the barlower the bar
Reduce required standards
anything goes · look the other way · wing it · go with the flow
set the bareasy
Requiring minimal effort
simple · effortless · undemanding · low expectations · bare minimum