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Glite Dictionary
to move the yardstick

to move the yardstick

7.5
Change the rules or standards so doing well becomes harder
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : elevar el estándar
  • Whenever the team met their targets, management would move the yardstick to keep them striving for more.

Examples

  • The school board decided to move the yardstick by raising the academic standards this year.

  • It's frustrating when they move the yardstick after we've already started the evaluation process.

  • They decided to move the yardstick for performance evaluations.

  • Can we move the yardstick on this project?

  • The management team decided to move the yardstick for quarterly sales targets, making it harder for employees to qualify for bonuses.

  • After her exceptional performance, the teacher moved the yardstick for what counted as a passing grade in her class.

  • In response to the new market demands, the company moved the yardstick on customer satisfaction metrics, raising the expectations significantly.

Synonyms

to raise the bar
vsto move the yardstick
16 4.0

To set a higher standard that others must reach

changes criteria so success becomes harder or different
to set the bar high
vsto move the yardstick
  • Informal
1 3.9

Make a high goal for others to reach

alters judging standards so success is harder or different
to lay down the marker
vsto move the yardstick
  • UK
1 7.4

To set a clear standard for others to try to reach

emphasizes clear measurement rather than changing difficulty or criteria
to raise the line
vsto move the yardstick
6.3

Make standards or expectations higher

changes criteria to make achievement harder or different

Antonyms

to standardize
  • US
83 4.2

To make things the same by using one set of rules

How Much

to move the yardstick
  • Informal
7.5
to tweak
81 3.8

Surface Forms

move the yardstick infinitive
moved the yardstick past
moved the yardstick past participle
moving the yardstick present participle
moves the yardstick third person singular

Morphology

move + the + yardstick

The meaning 'to change the standards' is directly derivable from combining 'move' (to change position) with 'yardstick' (a standard or benchmark); the article 'the' is semantically neutral. This is a compositional metaphorical use following a common measuring-as-standard pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Move the yardstick comes from the simple image of someone sliding a long measuring stick, a yardstick, so the mark and the result move. So, it now means 'to change the rules or standards' to make success different or harder.