# fair to middling

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/fair-to-middling
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Only tolerably good; somewhat favorable.

## Examples

- My progress on the project is only fair to middling.
- Your golf skills are fair to middling, but you are improving every week.
- When asked how the new restaurant was, he replied that the food was fair to middling.
- I checked the weather report for our weekend hike, but the forecast looks fair to middling with a high chance of grey skies and light drizzle.
- Although the critics described the performance as merely fair to middling, the audience seemed to enjoy the show well enough.

## Origin

The phrase originates in the commercial classification of agricultural commodities, specifically the grading of cotton and wool. The term fair denoted a specific quality of goods, as did the term middling. The earliest recorded instance of the two descriptions being joined into the compound fair to middling appears in a British publication of 1822. The transition from a technical trade descriptor to a general social idiom occurred shortly thereafter. The first recorded instance of the usage being applied in a generalised sense appears in an American publication of 1837.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.