Have you seen the saying '[to] set the bar high' somewhere on the internet or in a text and would like to know what it means? The phrase 'set the bar high' is a common saying mostly found in the English language. This post looks at the origin, meaning and use of this expression.
Meaning
The common saying 'set the bar high' is a figurative English saying that is usually used to mean that someone has set an accomplishment that would be difficult or impossible to match.
If someone 'sets the bar high' it is generally used as a compliment to a person.
The phrase can be used in direct reference to someone, or said about someone as a third-party.
A speaker can also use the phrase to reference themselves or their own accomplishments.
Someone can also 'set the bar too high' with the implication that the accomplishment can be too hard for anyone to match.
There are several ways to use the phrase in conversation depending on the tense, including 'setting the bar too high' and 'going to set the bar too high'.
A speaker can use the phrase in the denial form to say that 'the bar wasn't set high' or the accomplishment was not enough.
The meaning of what the 'bar' or accomplishment represents is generally implied by the rest of what has been said.
The direct opposite of the phrase is to 'set the bar low' as opposed to high.
Example Usage
“Are you going to be able to eat that many hot dogs in twelve minutes? The last guy's record set the bar pretty high, and I'm not sure you'll be able to beat him.”
“His performance as lead singer of the band set the bar high, and when it was time to replace him they could find nobody else who could keep up with the massive vocal range.”
“If you set the bar too high by doing well at work, then it's difficult to keep up.”
“His performance sure set the bar high for anyone who wants to compete in the national chess tournament.”
Origin
The origin of the phrase 'set the bar high' is agreed by most online language resources to originate from the sport of pole-vaulting.
According to resources about the sport, pole vaulting became popular and commonplace in the 1800s, and the phrase has its likely origin around the same time.
By the 1900s, the phrase 'to set the bar high' was already considered a common saying in the English language.
Common use of the phrase continued well into the 21st century, and the term would expand to use in modern media and social media with its figurative meaning since the beginning of the phrase.
Phrases Similar to Set the Bar High
- N/a
Phrases Opposite to Set the Bar High
- Set the bar low
What is the Correct Saying?
- [to] set the bar high
- [to] set the bar too high
- [to] set the bar higher
Ways People May Say Set the Bar High Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'set the bar high' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the phrase when it is used.
Figurative use of the phrase is the most common, and the saying is almost never used in the literal sense – even though this is the origin of the saying.
Translation of the phrase as a direct saying into other languages can cause confusion, as the saying originated in English where many other languages do not have an equivalent saying.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Set the Bar High
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'set the bar high' in the correct way.
Common use of the phrase includes 'to set the bar high' or 'setting the bar high', someone can also 'have set the bar high' or intend 'to set the bar high' in the future tense.
Sometimes the phrase can be used with humorous or sarcastic implications, to say that someone has 'not set the bar high'.