[General] up to/come up to/up to par/up to snuff

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vil

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Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expressions in bold in the following sentences?

The water in the pond was only up to John's knees.
up to = as far as or approaching a certain point

He is not up to this job.
Do you feel up to making this trip?
I don't feel up to it.
You can’t do this exercise. You’re not up to it yet.
be up to = be able to do or deal with

To live up to one's income.
He acted up to his promise.
up to = in keeping with; in conformity with

Up to what age did you live in the country?
up to = until what time

He is up to the ears in love.
up to one’s ears = deeply involved; also, oversupplied, surfeited

To praise somebody up to the skies.
praise someone to the skies = sing someone’s praises

He has learned to count up to a hundred.
I can take up to seven pupils.
up to = numerical limit

He came up to me and asked the time.
come up to = approach, come near

He went straight up to the entrance.
go up to = go near

They advanced up to the walls of the city.

When on earth will you get up to me?
get up to = come up with

We have to stand close up to one another.
stand close up to = be equal

It's up to us to give them all the help we can.
it’s up to us = we must

It's up to you to decide.
it’s up to you = you must

What are you up to now?
We knew those two were up to something.
I'm sure those kids are up to no good.
be up to = occupied with, engaged in (this usage can mean "devising" or "scheming,")

She didn't feel up to par today so she stayed home.
up to par = satisfactory, up to a given standard

Melinda thought that the tomatoes were up to snuff for making sauce, but when she got them home there was dry rot on almost all of them.
up to stuff = appropriate; fitting; acceptable; acceptable for the occasion 2. acceptable; suitable; passing

Thank you again for your kindness.

Regards,

V.
 

sarat_106

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Mar 19, 2008
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English Teacher
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Oriya
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India
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India
Dear teachers,

Would you be kind enough to tell me whether I am right with my interpretation of the expressions in bold in the following sentences?

The water in the pond was only up to John's knees.
Go up to the counter and ask for the goods.
up to = as far as or approaching a certain point Ok

He is not up to this job.
Do you feel up to making this trip?
I don't feel up to it.
You can’t do this exercise. You’re not up to it yet.
be up to = be able to do or deal with Ok

To live up to one's income.
He acted up to his promise.
up to = in keeping with; in conformity with

Up to what age did you live in the country?
up to = until what time

He is up to the ears in love.
up to one’s ears = deeply involved; also, oversupplied, surfeited

To praise somebody up to the skies.
praise someone to the skies = sing someone’s praises

He has learned to count up to a hundred.
I can take up to seven pupils.
You can make up to five copies.
up to = numerical limit

He came up to me and asked the time.
come up to = approach, come near

He went straight up to the entrance.
go up to = go near

They advanced up to the walls of the city.

When on earth will you get up to me?
get up to = come up with

We have to stand close up to one another.
stand close up to = be equal

It's up to us to give them all the help we can.
it’s up to us = we must

It's up to you to decide.
It’s up to you whether to get the blue one or the red one.
it’s up to you = you must= the option or decision lies with you

What are you up to now?
We knew those two were up to something.
I'm sure those kids are up to no good.
be up to = occupied with, engaged in (this usage can mean "devising" or "scheming,")= devising something harmful

She didn't feel up to par today so she stayed home.
up to par = satisfactory, up to a given standard

Melinda thought that the tomatoes were up to snuff for making sauce, but when she got them home there was dry rot on almost all of them.
up to stuff = appropriate; fitting; acceptable; acceptable for the occasion 2.
acceptable; suitable; passing

Thank you again for your kindness.

Regards,

V.

'Up to' has wide applications. As preposition, used as a function word to indicate a limit or boundary and as adjective to describe something/someone having the necessary strength or ability. In addition to these, it has several idiomatic uses which have depicted here nicely.
 
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Tdol

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UK
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'Up to snuff' is, I think, more commonly used in questions and negatives, so the example with the sauce sounds a bit strange to me.
 
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vil

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Student or Learner
Native Language
Bulgarian
Home Country
Bulgaria
Current Location
Bulgaria
Up to par, also, up to scratch or snuff or speed or the mark. Satisfactory, up to a given standard, as in She didn't feel up to par today so she stayed home, or I'm sure he'll come up to scratch when the time comes, or She's up to snuff again. Nearly all the versions of this idiom come from sports, par from golf, scratch and mark from boxing (after being knocked down a fighter had eight seconds to make his way to a mark scratched in the center of the ring), and speed from racing. However, the allusion in the variant with snuff, which dates from the early 1800s, has been lost.
[FONT=&quot]up to par: Information from Answers.com[/FONT]
 
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