Yardstick

A yardstick is a tool used to physically measure lengths of up to three feet (a yard).

Most yardsticks are flat wooden boards with black markings at regular intervals and metal tips. Many new yardsticks have imperial units markings on one side (three feet with inch and fractional inch) and metric units on the other side (one meter with centimeter and millimeter).

Yardsticks may be used as pointing devices for posters and projections, and they are sometimes used for spanking.

Other uses

The term may also be used informally or metaphorically in reference to anything which serves as a test or standard of measurement, comparison or judgement (also see benchmark and litmus test).

Thus yardstick may be referred to as a measure of attractiveness when talking of lovers. This means that any given person can become a yardstick, if they are the measure against which all other persons are compared to, e.g.: I would really go for Steve, but Michael is my yardstick, so Steve just can't match up to him. This can prove very problematic when the yardstick is an unrequited love - one needs closure before the yardstick can truly be forgotten, yet until they are forgotten, no other person can compare.

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