so far so good

S

so far, so good

Meaning

• progress has been satisfactory up to now
• an idiom used to say that something has proceeded well or without challenges up to the present
• used as a response to a question about what has happened up to the present moment
• an expression of satisfaction with the progress made
• implies that something different might happen later
• expresses satisfaction with the way that a situation or an activity is progressing without yet knowing the final result

Example Sentences

1. Thanks for asking; so far, so good.
2. So far, so good, but I’ll let you know how we make out when we’re finished.
3. I don’t know what it will look like when I’m done, but so far, so good.
4. Happy 100 days in office, President Biden! So far, so good.
5. This is the first time the two have spent working together, and so far, so good.
6. “So far, so good,” says The President on the country’s pandemic situation.
7. He joined the new job last month, and it’s going well. So far, so good.

Origin

For the first time, the idiom appeared in James Kelly’s Scottish Proverbs in 1721, with the initial expression of the phrase being:

“So far, so good. So much is done to good purpose.”

The use of the word ‘so’ is one that was very common in older versions of the English language but has fallen out of modern-day use. In this sense, the word ‘so‘ means ‘in this manner‘ or ‘in this condition.’ There are (still remains) a few manners of speech that use this version of ‘so,’ such as ‘do it like so’ and ‘just-so.’

Good