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“Below par” is an idiom used to describe someone feeling unwell or a performance that falls short of expectations. It comes from golf, where par is the standard performance. Ironically, hitting “below par” in golf is good. Idioms add color to language, often come from sports, and change over time.
“Below par” is an English idiom used to describe someone who is not feeling as well as his usual standards. The phrase can also be used to describe a performance that falls short of the quality expected of it. This idiom derives its meaning from the fact that par is considered the standard performance of a player on a golf course and is therefore the number against which all performance is measured. Ironically, someone who hits “below par” in golf actually performs well because it means he completes the hole in fewer than the required strokes.
An idiom is a saying or expression that may have meant one thing when first used, but then takes on a figurative meaning over time and through common usage in a culture. Idioms are useful when people are looking to add some color and expressiveness to their use of words. The world of sports, which has its own unique terminology for describing the action, is a common source of idioms. One of the best-known sports-related idioms is “below par.”
This idiom is often used to refer to how someone is feeling. Those described in this way usually feel physically ill or emotionally depressed. As an example of how the idiom is used in this context, consider the sentence, “I’m so sick I can barely stand right now, so I guess you could say I feel below average.”
Another way this idiom is used is to describe a lackluster performance. “Par” is the implied standard for what might be expected of a task or chore, and anything not living up to that standard would fall below that standard. For example, an employer might tell an employee, “You’re going to have to do it all over again, because that job is really sub-par.” Concerning this context, idiom is another poor way of saying.
In the sport of golf, “par” is the expected number of strokes it should take the player to put the ball into the hole. While the idiom originates from the sport, its meaning on the golf course is the polar opposite of its figurative meaning. If a person hits “below par” on a golf hole or for an entire round of golf, he has done exceptionally well. The contrasting idiom is “above all,” which is considered a good thing in everyday life, but is a bad thing on the golf course.
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