Close enough for government work

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"Close enough for government work" (also phrased "good enough for government work") is a slang phrase made popular in the 1960s.

More often used in the southern region of the United States, it is a reference to the seemingly inept performance of government officials and departments, but is not necessarily limited to use in governmental business.

The phrase is used to indicate end results of a project or task that did not turn out as well as expected. Upon completion of the (usually routine) task, a person will say "that's close enough (good enough) for government work", indicating that while the result was not as expected, it may be good enough to pass for completion, and in any event no further effort will be made to improve on it.