Fair to middling

Definitions

• Average or mediocre
  To describe something that is not particularly good or impressive, but also not terrible. Often used in a mildly positive or humorous way.

• Okay or satisfactory
  Can be used to express a lukewarm or neutral opinion about something. Often used to avoid giving a strong positive or negative response.

Examples of Fair to middling

• The weather today is fair to middling.

  In this example, "fair to middling" is being used to describe the current weather conditions. It means that the weather is neither exceptionally good (fair) nor exceptionally bad (poor), but rather falls somewhere in the middle range of acceptability (middling).

• The student's grades this semester have been fair to middling.

  In this example, "fair to middling" is being used to describe the student's academic performance during the current semester. It means that the student's grades are neither exceptionally strong (excellent or outstanding) nor exceptionally weak (failing), but rather fall somewhere in the middle range (middling).

• The team's performance in the tournament was fair to middling.

  In this example, "fair to middling" is being used to describe the team's overall performance during the tournament. It means that the team didn't excel or disappoint, but rather performed decently enough (middling).

• The economy in this region is fair to middling.

  In this example, "fair to middling" is being used to describe the state of the economy in the region being discussed. It means that the economic conditions are neither exceptionally prosperous (booming) nor exceptionally depressed (recession), but rather fall somewhere in the middle range (middling).

• The weather this summer has been fair to middling.

  This idiom is used to describe something that is neither good nor bad, but somewhat average or mediocre. In this case, the weather is not extremely hot and sunny, nor is it rainy and overcast. It is somewhere in the middle, or "fair to middling."

• My performance on the exam was fair to middling.

  This idiom can also be used to describe a person's abilities or accomplishments. In this instance, the person did not excel on the exam, but also did not fail miserably.

• The restaurant's service was fair to middling.

  This idiom can also be applied to services and experiences. In this case, the service at the restaurant was not spectacular, but it was not terrible either.

• The student's grades were fair to middling.

  This idiom can also be used to describe academic performance. In this instance, the student's grades were not spectacular, but they also did not receive any failing marks.

Conclusion

The idiom "fair to middling" is typically used to describe something as being average or mediocre. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as to describe the quality of a product, the outcome of a situation, or someone's performance. It is often used in a mildly positive or humorous way, and can also express a lukewarm or neutral opinion.

Origin of "Fair to middling"

The origin of this idiom is believed to be from the British Isles, specifically Scotland and England. In the 18th and 19th century, the word "middling" was commonly used to describe something of average or moderate quality. It was often used in the context of agriculture, to describe crops that were not of the best or worst quality.

The addition of "fair" to the phrase is believed to have come from the phrase "fair to middling", which was used to describe the quality of wool. This phrase eventually evolved to become a general idiom for describing something as average or mediocre.

Interestingly, the word "middling" also has roots in the game of dice, where it refers to the number five. In the game, a roll of five would be considered neither high nor low, or "middling". This could be another possible origin for the use of "middling" to describe something as average or mediocre.