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It used to be a complement IIRC: the US government set standards which were much tighter than those which were usually acceptable in the commercial world at the
by pja 13y ago
It used to be a complement IIRC: the US government set standards which were much tighter than those which were usually acceptable in the commercial world at the time & enforced them. If your work was "good enough for government work" then you were holding yourself to a higher standard than the norm for commercial manufacturing at the time.
- tcoppi 13y agoHow long ago was this a complement? I've never heard that phrase used in such a manner.
- pja 13y agoWWII I believe: http://www.altus.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123266336 http://www.altus.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123266336 If you do a google ngram search on the phrase, you'll see a blip during WWII and then nothing until 1970. I'm guessing the use from 1970 onwards probably carried the negative connotation we're all familiar with.