Gold standard
WordNet
noun
(1) A paragon of excellence
"Academic education is the gold standard against which other educational activity is pejoratively judged"
(2) A monetary standard under which the basic unit of currency is defined by a stated quantity of gold
WiktionaryText
Noun
- A monetary system where the value of circulating money is linked to the value of gold.
- 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004, p. 57
- In countries that accepted the gold standard, currency could be exchanged at a bank for a fixed weight of gold.
- 2002, Philip Ball, The Elements: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004, p. 57
- A test or measure of comparison that is considered ultimate or ideal.
- The OED is the gold standard for English dictionaries. Everyone wants to see how their version measures up to that ideal.