garden-variety

American  

[gahr-dn-vuh-rahy-i-tee] / ˈgɑr dn vəˌraɪ ɪ ti /

adjective

1. common, usual, or ordinary; unexceptional.

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garden variety Idioms  

1. Ordinary, common, as in I don't want anything special in a VCR—the garden variety will do. This term alludes to a common plant as opposed to a specially bred hybrid. [Colloquial; 1920]

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Etymology

Origin of garden-variety

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Both new shots offer better protection against bacteria that can cause pneumonia, meningitis and blood infections, as well as garden-variety ear and sinus infections.

From Seattle Times

Not your garden-variety deck with stackable plastic chairs and a kettle charcoal grill — why settle for that?

From Seattle Times

And on the second point, the judge sounds like a garden-variety conspiracy theorist, fearful of a foreign invasion that overwhelms our best-in-the-world military.

From Los Angeles Times

At the top, a stretch of dark red-purple blocks showed the presence of chikungunya, but there were also dozens of lighter squares, reflecting everything from secondary infections to garden-variety bacteria that live on the skin.

From New York Times

Not your garden-variety deck with stackable plastic chairs and a kettle charcoal grill — why settle for that? — but a loaded, supersize, decked-out deck with an outdoor living room, dining area, 54-inch grill, full kitchen, bar, two-draft kegerator, oversize island, massive weatherproof television, elaborate sound system and semicircular fire lounge.

From Washington Post