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Definition of Fair to middling
1. Adjective. About average; acceptable. "More than adequate as a secretary"
Definition of Fair to middling
1. Adjective. (idiomatic usually hyphenated when placed before noun) Only tolerably good; somewhat favorable. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Lexicographical Neighbors of Fair To Middling
Literary usage of Fair to middling
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Literary World by Samuel R. Crocker, Edward Abbott, Nicholas Paine Gilman, Madeline Vaughan Abbott Bushnell, Bliss Carman, Herbert Copeland (1887)
"Well, on must not carry the reduction of scale too far. i book that is only "fair
to middling" in thes days is not worthy of consideration. ..."
2. The Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review by Isaac Smith Homans, William B. Dana (1854)
"... prices also slightly advanced, particularly for inferior to good common, the
range being, inferior to good common §4 a 5, fair to middling $5 25 a 6, ..."
3. The Unity of Religions: A Popular Discussion of Ancient and Modern Beliefs by John Herman Randall, J. Gardner Smith (1910)
"fair to middling, sir; fair to middling," and he continued to currycomb the bay
horse while the president smoked and looked on in good-natured silence. ..."
4. The Innocents Abroad; Or, The New Pilgrim's Progress by Mark Twain (1871)
"... 1852, £250; 1854, £300. Best brands Georgian, none in market; second quality,
1851, £180. Nineteen fair to middling Wallachian girls offered at £130 ..."
5. The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopedic Lexicon of the English Language by William Dwight Whitney (1890)
"639. 3. Of medium quality: a specific commercial grade of flour, pork, etc.
See fair to middling, under fair1.- Middling gossip, a go-between. ..."
6. The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine by Charles Fenno Hoffman, Timothy Flint, Lewis Gaylord Clark, Kinahan Cornwallis, John Holmes Agnew (1838)
"This was voted 'from fair to middling,' by a flour-merchant, and laughed at by
all; but the obese reposed on his laurels. ..."
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