not so bad

not so bad

OK; fine. Usually said when something exceeds low expectations. I know the chicken doesn't look too appealing, but it's really not so bad. A low grade on one paper is not so bad, Steph—it's not like you're failing the class!
See also: bad, not
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • at a low ebb
  • have a low opinion of (someone or something)
  • run low
  • be/run low
  • fly low
  • set (one's) sights low
  • in low water
  • a peg too low
  • a low ebb
  • low ebb
References in periodicals archive
Naimark, senior vice president of the American Arbitration Association in New York, who says arbitration is not so bad. He says the typical time limit for arbitration is four to five months while the courts take years.
That's not so bad, considering that panel members themselves agreed unanimously on only 8 of the 831 galaxies.
The risk of long-term pollution is "not so bad," according to Lobinski, "because there's a certain lifetime for organolead in the environment.
Holsinger says the shrinkage and firmness changes were "not so bad that they were unacceptable,' and the cosmetic freckling problem was eliminated by switching from regular sugar to superfine.