Government
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close enough for government work
Good enough; OK; only satisfactory. The phrase implies that government work is usually of mediocre quality. 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 close enough for government work!"
good enough for government work
Serviceable or adequate; passably sufficient. The phrase implies that government work is usually of mediocre quality. 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."
governments have long arms
proverb The controlling sovereign or government of a given nation has broad, far-reaching power and influence that it can use to control or punish people. You do realize that the government is able to track just about every move you make, right? Remember—governments have long arms. The brigands thought they would be safe hiding out in this small provincial town, but governments have long arms, and they were eventually caught and hanged.
kings have long arms
proverb The controlling sovereign or government of a given nation has broad, far-reaching power and influence that it can use to control or punish people. You do realize that the government is able to track just about every move you make, right? Remember—kings have long arms. The brigands thought they would be safe hiding out in this small provincial town, but kings have long arms, and they were eventually caught and hanged.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
close enough for government work
and good enough for government worksufficiently close; done just well enough. (Alludes to the notion that work for the government is not done with care or pride.) I didn't do the best job of mending your shirt, but it's close enough for government work.
Kings have long arms.
and Governments have long arms.Prov. Those who are in power can always catch and punish people who have opposed them, no matter how far away those opponents may go. After his attempt to assassinate the king, the prince sailed to a distant country, although his wife warned him it would be to no avail. "Kings have long arms," she reminded him.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.