A: If the pandemic gets under control and everything returns to normal, do you think we can get a raise this year?

B: Haven’t you heard what the boss said during the meeting? “We have to pull in our belt!” Of course we’re not getting raises again this year — that’s just par for the course at this point.

Note: This term means “normal, typical, or to be expected, especially when something is a source of annoyance or frustration.” This phrase is believed to have originated from the sport of golfing. In golf, the term “par” is a common one. It means that each individual hole, or in some cases the entire course, has a set number of strokes an experienced golfer is expected to take in order to finish it.