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milk run

American  

noun

Slang.
  1. a routine trip or undertaking, especially one presenting little danger or difficulty.

    The flight from New York to Chicago was a milk run for the experienced pilot and crew.


milk run British  

noun

  1. informal aeronautics a routine and uneventful flight, esp on a dangerous mission

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of milk run

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

See Examples For:

The milk run flight was delayed, then held on the tarmac with passengers on board for nearly an hour.

From Seattle Times Jul. 9, 2021

Cause of death: Collapsed at the grocery store during a morning milk run.

From Washington Post Aug. 2, 2017

John Adriaanse, 73, said a milk run to the local shop ended in a fall when he "misjudged the depth of a pothole".

From BBC May 19, 2017

But restarting scheduled airline service after 55 years has been anything but a milk run for U.S. airlines.

From The Wall Street Journal Sep. 7, 2016

By the time she got to the door he had undone the complicated wire cap and was letting the cold milk run into his mouth.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

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