Idiom · C1 · Informal · disapproving
move the goalposts
MOOV thuh GOHL-pohsts Stress move and goal; keep goalposts plural.
Change the rules or conditions while someone is trying to meet them, making success more difficult.
menjati uslove tokom postupka i time otežavati uspeh
Use it
They promised approval after one test, then demanded three more; they moved the goalposts.
The condition for success changes during the process.
If you keep moving the goalposts, no applicant can satisfy your requirements.
Repeated changes make the target increasingly difficult to reach.
Build the sentence
move the goalposts · keep moving the goalposts · accuse someone of moving the goalposts
Memory scene
You prepare to score, but someone carries the goal farther away. Meeting the old target is suddenly no longer enough.
Watch out
This is criticism, not a neutral label for every revised plan. Scope creep means a project’s scope expands; moving the goalposts means changing the conditions for success. Keep the and the plural goalposts.
Nearby language
A broader description that need not imply unfairness or make success harder.
Means demand a higher standard and can be positive or announced fairly in advance.
Describes gradual expansion of a project’s work rather than necessarily changing acceptance criteria.
Make it yours
Dogovor je bio da je jedan dokaz dovoljan. Kada ste ga dostavili, druga strana je zatražila tri nova dokaza.