be par for the course

be par for the course

To be normal or typical (especially when it is a source of annoyance or frustration). This phrase comes from golf, in which "par" is the number of strokes that it should take a player to get the ball into a particular hole on a golf course, or the total number of strokes one should take in a round or game. Of course we're not getting raises again this year—that's just par for the course.

See also: course, par

be (about) ˌpar for the ˈcourse

(disapproving) be normal; be what you would expect to happen: ‘The food on this plane is terrible.’ ‘Well, that’s about par for the course.’

This idiom refers to the game of golf. Par is the number of times a good player should hit the ball to complete a particular hole or course.

See also: course, par