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 the correct phrase, with middling suggesting an average or middle position.
• Fair to midland is a mishearing or incorrect usage that appears due to the similarity in pronunciation.
• Remember middling as something in the middle or average, helping you to identify the correct phrase.
• Midland is often mistakenly used because it sounds similar, but it refers to a specific region or location.
• The phrase originates from middling, which stands for moderate or average quality.