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]

Example Sentences

Thanks to Mr. Bookbinder, the fiction that these are run-of-the-mill state-law cases has been exposed.

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While most cleans rely on numerous solvents and disinfectants, for run-of-the-mill carpet stains Ben relies on the basics - using either washing powder or liquid and warm water.

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"When choosing to operate her fiscal rules with such teeny tiny headroom, Ms Reeves would have known that run-of-the-mill forecast changes could easily blow her off course," Ms Miller added.

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Hostile encounters felt almost run-of-the-mill, especially for those who were politically active.

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He had been, as Mr. Maisel characterizes the undergraduate Leahy, “the epitome of a run-of-the-mill football player,” but that was the last time he was anything but the driving force behind every group he joined.

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Related Words

• middling 
• undistinguished