pass muster

verb (used with object)

to assemble (troops, a ship's crew, etc.), as for battle, display, inspection, orders, or discharge.

to gather, summon, rouse (often followed by up ): He mustered all his courage.

verb (used without object)

to assemble for inspection, service, etc., as troops or forces.

to come together; collect; assemble; gather.

noun

an assembling of troops or persons for formal inspection or other purposes.

an assemblage or collection.

the act of mustering.

Also called muster roll. (formerly) a list of the persons enrolled in a military or naval unit.

00:10

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So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.

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Verb phrases

muster in, to enlist into service in the armed forces.

10.

muster out, to discharge from service in the armed forces: He will be mustered out of the army in only two more months.

Idioms

11.

pass muster,

to pass a cursory inspection.

to measure up to a certain standard; be adequate: Your grades don't pass muster.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English mostren (v.) < Old French mostrer < Latin mōnstrāre to show, derivative of mōnstrum portent; see monster

Related forms

pre·mus·ter, verb (used with object)

un·mus·tered, adjective

Can be confused: muster, mustard.

Synonyms
1. convoke. See gather. 1, 4. convene; congregate. 5. gathering, assembly, convention.

Antonyms
1, 4. scatter, separate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pass muster

Collins

World English Dictionary

muster (ˈmʌstə)

—vb (sometimes foll by up)
1.	to call together (numbers of men) for duty, inspection, etc, or (of men) to assemble in this way
2.	(US)
	a. muster in to enlist into military service
	b. muster out to discharge from military service
3.	(Austral), (NZ) (tr) to round up (livestock)
4.	to summon or gather: to muster one's arguments; to muster up courage

—n
5.	an assembly of military personnel for duty, inspection, etc
6.	a collection, assembly, or gathering
7.	(Austral), (NZ) the rounding up of livestock
8.	a flock of peacocks
9.	pass muster to be acceptable

[C14: from old French moustrer, from Latin monstrāre to show, from monstrum portent, omen]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

muster

c.1300, "to display, reveal, appear," from O.Fr. mostrer (modern Fr. montrer), from L. monstrare "to show," from monstrum "omen, sign" (see monster). Noun meaning "act of gathering troops" is c.1400. To pass musters (1570s) originally meant "to undergo military review without

censure." To muster out "gather to be discharged from military service" is 1834, Amer.Eng. To muster up in the fig. and transf. sense of "gather, summon, marshal" is from 1620s. Related: Mustered; mustering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Science Dictionary

musth also must

(mŭst) Pronunciation Key
An annual period of heightened aggressiveness and sexual activity in male elephants.

Slang Dictionary

must (do) definition

and must

n.
something that someone ought to do. : Seeing the Eiffel tower is a must do in Paris. , Tell me some of the “musts” in southern Utah.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

pass muster

Meet a required standard, as in That yard cleanup won't pass muster with Mom. This expression originally meant "to undergo a military review without censure," muster referring to an assembling of troops for inspection or a similar purpose. [Late 1500s]

Matching Quote

"The very fact that he had no rabble or troop of hirelings about him would alone distinguish him from ordinary heroes. His company was small indeed, because few could be found worthy to pass muster. Each one who there laid down his life for the poor and oppressed was a picked man,... a man of principle, of rare courage, and devoted humanity; ready to sacrifice his life at any moment for the benefit of his fellow-man. It may be doubted if there were as many more their equals in these respects in all the country.... These alone were ready to step between the oppressor and the oppressed. Surely they were the very best men you could select to be hung. That was the greatest compliment which this country could pay them. They were ripe for the gallows. She has tried a long time, she has hung a good many, but never found the right one before."

-Henry David Thoreau

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