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.

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milk run British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of milk run

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

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

Last year, British Vogue announced “The Return of the Ugg Boot”, declaring them “our guiltiest fashion pleasure … the sheepskin Ugg is no longer the preserve of a hungover milk run, or the yummy mummy.”

From The Guardian • Mar. 30, 2016

“Appleby, you’ve got flies in your eyes,” he whispered helpfully as they passed by each other in the doorway of the parachute tent on the day of the weekly milk run to Parma.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller