A sarcastic stamp of approval on work that meets the minimum and no more. Said with a grin about a part that is inside tolerance but ugly, or about a fix that will hold but would never win praise. Because shops that do real government and defense work face strict inspection, the line also gets thrown back as a joke about how tight those jobs actually are.
Heard on the job
Hole's a bit egg-shaped but the pin goes in, close enough for government work, ship it.
Also heard as
- good enough for government work