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Synonyms

fair to middling

Idioms  

  1. Mediocre, pretty good, so-so, as in I asked them how they liked their new home and John answered, “Fair to middling. This phrase, often a reply to an inquiry about one's health, business, or the like, is redundant, since fair and middling both mean “moderately good.” [Mid-1800s] Also see can't complain.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Fair to middling, so far as my experience goes."

From A Knight on Wheels by Hay, Ian

"Fair to middling well," said Ol' Mistah Buzzard, with a twinkle in his eyes.

From The Adventures of Mr. Mocker by Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.