listón

lath

noun lees-TOHN Rare

Also means

bar (standard to clear)

Usage Note

Listón is literally a wooden lath or batten used in construction, but its most common figurative use is 'the bar' set by a standard or expectation: subir el listón ('to raise the bar') and poner el listón muy alto ('to set a very high bar') are fixed idioms used in sport, education, and business. The literal construction sense and the figurative sense coexist freely in the same register.

Examples

"Los nuevos fichajes han subido mucho el listón."

Natural Translation

The new signings have raised the bar considerably.

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