Word of the day
Disappointing, but exactly what you expected
idiom
The English word
par for the course
English never changes here, whatever language you are reading in.
When to use it
Borrowed from golf, where every course has an expected number of strokes. Saying a bad outcome matches that expectation means it is disappointing but completely normal for the situation: the train is late again, the promise is broken again. The tone is resigned and often ironic, commenting on a pattern rather than a one-off. It is conversational, at home in speech and informal writing, and almost always used about negatives.
Examples
The flight was delayed two hours, but that's par for the course with this airline.
Another meeting that could have been an email - par for the course around here.
Goes with
pretty much par for the course
that's par for the course
par for the course in this industry
Check yourself
Complete the sentence with the English word above.
1. Long queues at the airport in July? That's par for the ___.
Show the answer
course