hit the mark
1. Literally, to hit a target. The pitcher is having trouble hitting the mark tonight. I hit the mark last time and then totally fired over the target, sheesh. A: "Wow, how did all of those biathletes hit the mark? They make it look so easy." B: "Well, I imagine they practice shooting targets with a rifle far more than we do!"
2. To have the desired effect. Based on that rousing round of applause, your speech really hit the mark. If you don't hit the mark when you talk to the kids, they'll just tune you out. If you hit the mark, the board won't be able to turn down your proposal.
3. To be correct or accurate. You really hit the mark with that answer—good job. Elizabeth hit the mark when she suggested that we try expanding our core demographic. We've been way too narrow in our marketing recently. A: "Whoa, you hit the mark when you predicted that character wasn't really dead." B: "Eh, is anyone ever really dead on a soap opera?"
miss the mark
To be slightly or somewhat mistaken, incorrect, or inaccurate. I believe your statements about the city's homelessness problem have rather missed the mark. The film tries to be a commentary on the middle class in this country, but it ends up missing the mark.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
hit the mark
1. If something hits the mark, it is good and achieves what it was intended to achieve. It's the only track on the album which fails to hit the mark. Some of the jokes are gross and some aren't. Some hit the mark brilliantly and others miss by a mile.
2. If a word or description hits the mark, it is accurate. Is there a single word that captures the spirit of this town? `Hospitable' probably hits the mark. Note: The `mark' in this expression is the target used in shooting or archery (= a sport in which arrows are shot from a bow).
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012