middlin

fair to middling

Neither good nor bad; mediocre; lukewarm. Despite reviews that were fair to middling, the film was a huge box-office success. A: "How was your time in France?" B: "Eh, fair to middling. I expected it to be a lot better, to be honest."
See also: fair
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

fair to middlin'

Rur. mediocre; not bad but not good. (Middling means 'of average quality.') Tom: How are you feeling today? Bill: Fair to middlin'. My sewing is excellent, but my cooking is only fair to middlin'.
See also: fair
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

fair to middling

Mediocre, pretty good, so-so, as in I asked them how they liked their new home and John answered, "Fair to middling. This phrase, often a reply to an inquiry about one's health, business, or the like, is redundant, since fair and middling both mean "moderately good." [Mid-1800s] Also see can't complain.
See also: fair
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

fair to middling

So-so, moderately good, a reply to “How are you?” Since “fair” and “middling” here mean the same thing—that is, pretty good or mediocre—the expression is basically jocular. It originated in the mid-nineteenth century, probably in America. An early citation in the OED is from Artemus Ward’s His Travels (“The men are fair to middling,” 1865). See also can't complain.
See also: fair
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • fair to middlin'
  • fair to middling
  • box-office bomb
  • so-so
  • cult
  • cult classic
  • cult film
  • nothing to write home about
  • not much to boast about
  • nothing to boast about
References in classic literature
"Oh, I's middlin'; hain't got noth'n' to complain of, I's gwine to come a-court'n you bimeby, Roxy."
Puddnhead Wilson
And cut it middlin' short, be- cause it's better for us to be down there a-whoopin' up the mournin' than up here givin' 'em a chance to talk us over."
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Weller," says the gen'l'm'n in the chair, "glad to see you, sir; how are you?"--"Wery well, thank 'ee, Sir," says my father; "I hope you're pretty middlin," says he.--"Pretty well, thank'ee, Sir," says the gen'l'm'n; "sit down, Mr.
The Posthumous Papers Of The Pickwick Club
I WOULDventure to suggest that there is a growing misuse of the excellent Yorkshire term "Middlin" in responding to an enquiry after one's health.
There are actually three types ofMiddlin' - Middlin' itself, NobbutMiddlin' and Nobbut varryMiddlin'.
Of the three the safest response, showing a proper Yorkshire caution and not wishing to tempt Providence, is "Nobbut Middlin' ".
"Middlin' " itself is far too optimistic, being the equivalent of the Southerner's "Top-hole, old boy"
Letter: Mailbag - Yorkshire caution
Mount Isa Mines (MIM) itself offers very popular surface and underground tours to visitors, and two other tourism centres, the John Middlin Mining Display and Visitor's Centre and the Frank Aston Underground Museum, display mining equipment, technology and processes.
The most popular is the John Middlin Visitors Centre and Mining Display, which was originally operated by Mount Isa Mines but is now run by the Museum of North West Queensland.
Timeline History and the Anzac Myth: Settler Narratives of Local History in a North Australian Town