Standard criticism applied to enclosed space (9)
I believe the answer is:
yardstick
'standard' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'criticism applied to enclosed space' is the wordplay.
'criticism' becomes 'stick' (I've seen this before).
'applied to' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'enclosed space' becomes 'yard' (I've seen this before**).
'stick' after 'yard' is 'YARDSTICK'.
(Other definitions for yardstick that I've seen before include "Benchmark" , "measure of performance" , "Ruler or tape, three feet long" , "Measuring rod" , "Gauge" .)