Devoted to technical writing and technical writers

When one is deemed capable of MAKING THE GRADE, he or she is said to be able to win against heavy odds or difficult obstacles.

The expression finds its origins in railroad parlance. Once the mighty steam locomotive became more popular, a lot of track was laid, ultimately covering a significant portion of the . Now, simple physics can explain that a locomotive can pull a certain amount of weight over a straight line. Once a gradient is introduced, however, the amount of steam required (then) would increase geometrically.

The science of road-building and the laying of tracks were not often taken into account by sloppy engineers or work crews. Thus, they would often leave steep grades that would prove extremely challenging to the locomotives of that time. When a train would successfully hurdle such steep grades, the men in the cab would exult with joy for having “made the grade”.