run-of-the-mill

[ruhn-uhv-thuh-mil]

adjective

1. merely average; commonplace; mediocre.

   just a plain, run-of-the-mill house; a run-of-the-mill performance.

   Synonyms: everyday, routine, ordinary

run-of-the-mill

adjective

1. ordinary, average, or undistinguished in quality, character, or nature; not special or excellent

run of the mill

1. Common, ordinary, average: “His performance in the game was neither exemplary nor disastrous; it was simply run of the mill.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of run of the mill¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

Ordinary, average, as in There's nothing special about these singers—they're just run of the mill. This expression alludes to fabrics coming directly from a mill without having been sorted or inspected for quality. It has survived such similar phrases as run of the mine and run of the kiln, for the products of mines and kilns. [Late 1800s]

Related Words

• middling 
• undistinguished