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]

Example Sentences

Catherine Corless thought it would be a “simple, run-of-the-mill kind of thing” when she began a local history course in 2005.

From BBC

I think if you're ... you're not just a Democrat, or just like the run-of-the-mill Democrat, I think you have a chance in a lot of these places.

From Salon

Most of these films are tired, run-of-the-mill ocean thrillers that recycle the same beats of better movies that have come before.

From Salon

His website advertised expertise in defending run-of-the-mill cases: DUI, domestic violence, theft, assault.

From Los Angeles Times

He said filming for Gavin and Stacey originally began as we was entering his 60s and "was just beginning to calm down and become a bit more of a regular, run-of-the-mill human being".

From BBC

Related Words

• middling 
• undistinguished