the gold standard
1 : a system in which a unit of money (such as the dollar) is equal to a particular amount of gold
It was the early 20th century, and the United States was still on the gold standard.
2 : something that is considered to be the best and that is used to judge the quality or level of other, similar things
This car is the gold standard for luxury automobiles.
the gold standard of stylish resorts
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Main Entry: ↑gold standard
Useful english dictionary. 2012.