run-of-the-mill

[ ruhn-uhv-thuh-mil ]

adjective

1. merely average; commonplace; mediocre:

   just a plain, run-of-the-mill house; a run-of-the-mill performance.

   Synonyms: everyday, routine, ordinary

run-of-the-mill

adjective

1. ordinary, average, or undistinguished in quality, character, or nature; not special or excellent

run of the mill

1. Common, ordinary, average: “His performance in the game was neither exemplary nor disastrous; it was simply run of the mill.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of run-of-the-mill¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

Ordinary, average, as in There's nothing special about these singers—they're just run of the mill . This expression alludes to fabrics coming directly from a mill without having been sorted or inspected for quality. It has survived such similar phrases as run of the mine and run of the kiln , for the products of mines and kilns. [Late 1800s]

Related Words

• middling
• undistinguished