Why is "sub par" bad?
Isn't this a golf metaphor? In golf "sub par" is something good. Having required fewer strokes than the "par" on a golf course or a particular hole. Why is "sub par" colloquially used to describe something bad?
Isn't this a golf metaphor? In golf "sub par" is something good. Having required fewer strokes than the "par" on a golf course or a particular hole. Why is "sub par" colloquially used to describe something bad?
Lord Bacon
Favorite Answer
'Sub par' means 'below average' or 'below reasonable expectations'. 'Sub' always means 'below' or 'less than'.
In a game where beating the average number of strokes is a sign of quality of play, 'sub par' is good. If your heart surgery was 'sub par', that would not be good. If the quality of the building work on your house was 'sub par' that would not be good.
Dan B
Sub means "under" as it does in golf. So, if you shoot under par, you shot a sub-par round.
Martin
I dont think that the saying originated from golf.
Bob
Because it means below averagre or below expectations.
Anonymous
I never believed it to mean bad. The way I have used it for example, If someone is cocky and claims to have done a perfect job. I may exclaim, “It was sub par.”