Question of the Day #858

It’s probably a half inch short, but it’s good enough for government work.

From the 5th paragraph of this article at D Magazine.

  上記の文で、good enough for government workの意味は？
In the sentence above, what does "good enough for government work" mean?

  答えは、コメントに書いてください。
Write your answer in the Comments.

明日、ここに答えを書きます。
I will add the answer and other remarks here tomorrow.

 

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解答

意味：
この言い回しは、close enough for government workと同じ意味です。そして、Amebaの このブログによるとその意味は、

アメリカ人が完璧でない仕事ぶりを”雑な”政府の仕事ぶりに例えて言う表現。

言い換えれば、下記英語の定義にあるように、

Adequate「十分な出来」、passably sufficient「許せる程度」

ということになります。違う言い方をすればmediocre（平凡な、二流の、あまり良くない、可もなく不可もない）ということもできます。
また、この言い回しは、政府の行う仕事はそれほど良くないことを示唆しています。

Answer

According to The Free Dictionary:

Serviceable or adequate; passably sufficient. The phrase implies that government work is usually of mediocre quality.

   

Examples

• But as the old cliche goes, it was close enough for government work — particularly with a leftist Legislature. (The Los Angeles Times)
• Max: "Hey, you done trimming those shrubs?"
  Minnie: "I don't know, they look a little uneven yet..."
  Max: "Nah, that's good enough for government work, let's go get a beer!"
• When my project ripped in half as I walked out the door, my mom glued it back together and sent me on my way, saying, "It's good enough for government work!"
• A: "Are you sure this report is ready to be published? There are a lot of issues with some of the research." B: "Meh. Good enough for government work."

   

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