leave a lot to be desired

Cliché to be lacking something important; to be inadequate. (A polite way of saying that something is bad.) This report leaves a lot to be desired. I'm sorry to have to fire you, Mary, but your work leaves a lot to be desired.

See also: desire, leave, lot

leave a lot to be desired

to be not very good, or not as good as you would like leave something to be desired My tennis game is improving, but my backhand still leaves a lot to be desired.

See also: desire, leave, lot

leave a lot to be desired

to be much worse than you would like (never in continuous tenses) Apparently, Meg's cooking leaves a lot to be desired.

See also: desire, leave, lot

leave a lot to be desired

Also, leave a great deal or much to be desired . Be imperfect or unsatisfactory. For example, His account of the election leaves a lot to be desired. This usage can also be put in a more positive way, that is, leave nothing to be desired, meaning "to be perfectly satisfactory," as in His account leaves nothing to be desired. [Late 1700s]

See also: desire, leave, lot

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
GiosuÈ	jo-ZWE	Italian
Ataahua	-	Maori
Gabrielle	[.ga:bri'el]
Mykhaylo	-	Ukrainian
Neirin	-	Welsh
Elias	ə-LEE-əsh (Portuguese), e-LEE-ahs (German), E-lee-ahs (Finnish), i-LIE-əs (English), ee-LIE-əs (English)	Portuguese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, English, Greek, Biblical Latin, Biblical Gr