Cut the mustard. 

Does not pass standard. Is not good enough. Is lacking.

The passage about the mustardeer or cutting layers of hardened mustard is bullshit some troll made up.

The first recorded use of the phrase cut the mustard was by O. Henry in 1907, in a story called The Heart of the West: "I looked around and found a proposition that exactly cut the mustard". The modern sense of the idiom is 'to succeed; to have the ability to do something; to come up to expectations', but the phrase is most often used in the negative form, as "can't cut the mustard," meaning 'not able to handle the job'. The cut probably refers to harvesting the plant, so if one cannot cut the mustard, one cannot supply what is best. A phrase preceding cut the mustard is to be the mustard (c. 1903) meaning 'to be special' or 'to be exactly what is needed' with mustard being a slang term for importance. There is also another phrase keen as mustard meaning 'very enthusiastic'.

The story about the Mustardeer does not cut the mustard.

Cut the mustard. by NoMusturdeersExist October 31, 2014

cut the mustard

"Get it up." By extension, perform any challenging act.

Those evangelists would be more convincing if they could cut the mustard.

cut the mustard by cornholio October 6, 2003

cut the mustard

Men who are unable to "cut the mustard" can more than compensate by simply LICKING THE LID.

She: What's the matter, Mr. Softee? Can't cut the mustard?

He: Don't worry, I'll just lick the lid instead.

She: Oooh, you lover boy, you!

cut the mustard by Hugh Chardon Junior July 8, 2010

Cut the mustard

You won or “lived up to expectations” or basically, stuff like that.

“I cut the mustard in the game.”
“Oh I didn’t”

Cut the mustard by Beanie gacha April 20, 2022

Doesn't Cut the Mustard 

This phrase originates from the Old English craft of Mustard making.

The chief mustard maker or Mustardeer would make their mustard in large oaken barrels, allowing each barrel to mature for a number of months. This maturing of the mustard produced a thick, leathery crust at the top of the barrel which would need to be removed before the contents could be tested.

The consistency of the crust would be such that a specialised cutting implement was required to remove it. Initially a modified scythe was used but this often lead to the crust being 'dragged' at certain points and falling into the rest of the mustard causing it to lose some of its distinctive flavour.

Over many years a specialised blade was developed that had an extremely thin leading edge which widened towards the centre and then tapered at the trailing edge although not to a sharp point. This allowed the blade to skim the majority of the topcrust off, leaving a very thin slice which would be left on to protect the mustard.

Due to the coarse, leathery nature of the topcrust the blade, over time, would develop dull spots along it's length and thus required constant monitoring.

When it was time to remove the topcrust the senior Mustardeer would instruct his apprentice to pass him the blade and would attempt to slice thorough the top leathery layer. The Mustardeer would know immediately if the blade was not sufficiently keen enough to complete the task and he would pass the blade back to the apprentice and say to him "I'm sorry, but That Doesn't Cut the Mustard"

The phrase has since passed into common usage describing anything that does not meet a certain standard.

Don't give me your crap excuses, That Doesn't Cut the Mustard.

The computer you sold me is not upto the task for which I purchased it. Im sorry but it doesn't cut the mustard.

Doesn't Cut the Mustard by Vauxhall Burgundy September 14, 2008