Fair to middling vs. Fair to midland

Fair to middling

/ˌfɛər tə ˈmɪdlɪŋ/

Average or slightly better than average in quality.

Examples:

The food was fair to middling, nothing to rave about.Her performance was fair to middling by their standards.Our profits last year were fair to middling, not too bad.

Synonyms:

averagepassable

Antonyms:

excellentpoor

Fair to midland

/fɛr tə ˈmɪdlənd/

A phrase used to describe something average or slightly better than average.

Examples:

The cake's taste was fair to midland, not extraordinary.The weather today is fair to midland, mildly pleasant.His performance was fair to midland, lacking some zest.

Synonyms:

averagemediocre

Antonyms:

terriblepoor

Ways to tell them apart:

• Fair to middling is a phrase used to describe something as moderately good or average.
• The phrase fair to midland is often a misinterpretation of fair to middling.
• Midland does not change the meaning of the original phrase but it can be confusing due to its geographical meaning as a region.
• To remember correctly, think of middling as middle or average in quality.
• In usage, middling refers to quality, while Midland often refers to a place.