Idiom of the day :- Up to scratch

Usage, examples and definition of the Idiom :-

Be of an acceptable /desired standard A : I think you should go to the optician and find out if your eyesight is up to scratch. B : Why do you say that ? A : Well last week I saw you talking to a lamp-post and asking it round for dinner ! Boxing was a common sport during the 18th and 19th centuries, but the rules were very different from those of today. The fight was not divided into bouts of a few minutes but continued non-stop until one of the men was knocked to the floor. Both fighters then had to go to a mark which had been scratched in the middle of the ring. If a man had been so badly injured that he could not come up to scratch within thirty seconds, he lost the fight and his opponent won. The expression is often used in the negative — for example, She wanted to be a singer but her voice wasn’t up to scratch.