fair to middling
adjective
1.
free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice: a fair decision; a fair judge.
2.
legitimately sought, pursued, done, given, etc.; proper under the rules: a fair fight.
3.
moderately large; ample: a fair income.
4.
neither excellent nor poor; moderately or tolerably good: fair health.
5.
marked by favoring conditions; likely; promising: in a fair way to succeed.
6.
Meteorology.
a.
(of the sky) bright; sunny; cloudless to half-cloudy.
b.
(of the weather) fine; with no prospect of rain, snow, or hail; not stormy.
7.
Nautical. (of a wind or tide) tending to aid the progress of a vessel.
8.
unobstructed; not blocked up: The way was fair for our advance.
9.
without irregularity or unevenness: a fair surface.
10.
free from blemish, imperfection, or anything that impairs the appearance, quality, or character: Her fair reputation was ruined by gossip.
11.
easy to read; clear: fair handwriting.
12.
of a light hue; not dark: fair skin.
13.
pleasing in appearance; attractive: a fair young maiden.
14.
seemingly good or sincere but not really so: The suitor beguiled his mistress with fair speeches.
15.
courteous; civil: fair words.
16.
Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having stable and normal vital signs and other favorable indicators, as appetite and mobility, but being in some discomfort and having the possibility of a worsening state.
17.
Dialect. scarcely; barely: It was just fair daylight when we started working.
adverb
18.
in a fair manner: He doesn't play fair.
19.
straight; directly, as in aiming or hitting: He threw the ball fair to the goal.
20.
favorably; auspiciously.
21.
British, Australian. entirely; completely; quite: It happened so quickly that it fair took my breath away.
00:10
Fair to middling
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
noun
22.
Archaic. something that is fair.
23.
Archaic.
a.
a woman.
b.
a beloved woman.
verb (used with object)
Verb phrases 24.
to make the connection or junction of (surfaces) smooth and even.
25.
Shipbuilding.
a.
to draw and adjust (the lines of a hull being designed) to produce regular surfaces of the correct form.
b.
to adjust the form of (a frame or templet) in accordance with a design, or cause it to conform to the general form of a hull.
c.
to restore (a bent plate or structural member) to its original form.
d.
to align (the frames of a vessel under construction) in proper position.
26.
to bring (rivet holes in connecting structural members) into perfect alignment.
27.
Obsolete. to make fair.
28.
Idioms fair offup, South Midland and Southern U.S. (of the weather) to clear: It's supposed to fair off toward evening.
29.
bid fair, to seem likely: This entry bids fair to win first prize.
30.
fair and square,
a.
honestly; justly; straightforwardly: He won the race fair and square.
b.
honest; just; straightforward: He was admired for being fair and square in all his dealings.
31.
fair to middling, Informal. only tolerably good; so-so.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English fæger; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German fagar, Old Norse fagr, Gothic fagrs
before 900; Middle English; Old English fæger; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German fagar, Old Norse fagr, Gothic fagrs
Related forms
fair·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. Fair, impartial, disinterested, unprejudiced refer to lack of bias in opinions, judgments, etc. Fair implies the treating of all sides alike, justly and equitably: a fair compromise. Impartial like fair implies showing no more favor to one side than another, but suggests particularly a judicial consideration of a case: an impartial judge. Disinterested implies a fairness arising particularly from lack of desire to obtain a selfish advantage: The motives of her guardian were entirely disinterested. Unprejudiced means not influenced or swayed by bias, or by prejudice caused by irrelevant considerations: an unprejudiced decision. 4. passable, tolerable, average, middling. 8. open, clear, unencumbered. 10. clean, spotless, pure, untarnished, unsullied, unstained. 11. legible, distinct. 12. blond, pale. 13. pretty, comely, lovely. 15. polite, gracious.
1. Fair, impartial, disinterested, unprejudiced refer to lack of bias in opinions, judgments, etc. Fair implies the treating of all sides alike, justly and equitably: a fair compromise. Impartial like fair implies showing no more favor to one side than another, but suggests particularly a judicial consideration of a case: an impartial judge. Disinterested implies a fairness arising particularly from lack of desire to obtain a selfish advantage: The motives of her guardian were entirely disinterested. Unprejudiced means not influenced or swayed by bias, or by prejudice caused by irrelevant considerations: an unprejudiced decision. 4. passable, tolerable, average, middling. 8. open, clear, unencumbered. 10. clean, spotless, pure, untarnished, unsullied, unstained. 11. legible, distinct. 12. blond, pale. 13. pretty, comely, lovely. 15. polite, gracious.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To fair to middling
Collins
World English Dictionary
fair1 (fɛə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | free from discrimination, dishonesty, etc; just; impartial |
| 2. | in conformity with rules or standards; legitimate: a fair fight |
| 3. | (of the hair or complexion) light in colour |
| 4. | beautiful or lovely to look at |
| 5. | moderately or quite good: a fair piece of work |
| 6. | unblemished; untainted |
| 7. | (of the tide or wind) favourable to the passage of a vessel |
| 8. | sunny, fine, or cloudless |
| 9. | informal (prenominal) thorough; real: a fair battle to get to the counter |
| 10. | pleasant or courteous |
| 11. | apparently good or valuable, but really false: fair words |
| 12. | open or unobstructed: a fair passage |
| 13. | (Austral) (of handwriting) clear and legible |
| 14. | informal a fair crack of the whip, a fair shake of the dice, a fair go a fair opportunity; fair chance |
| 15. | fair and square in a correct or just way |
| 16. | fair do's |
| a. equal shares or treatment | |
| b. an expression of appeal for equal shares or treatment | |
| 17. | fair enough! an expression of agreement |
| 18. | informal (Austral), (NZ) fair go! come off it!; I don't believe it! |
| 19. | fair to middling about average |
| —adv | |
| 20. | in a fair way; correctly: act fair, now! |
| 21. | absolutely or squarely; quite: the question caught him fair off his guard |
| 22. | dialect really or very: fair tired |
| —vb | |
| 23. | dialect (intr) (of the weather) to become fine and mild |
| —n | |
| 24. | archaic a person or thing that is beautiful or valuable, esp a woman |
| [Old English fæger; related to Old Norse fagr, Old Saxon, Old High German fagar, Gothic fagrs suitable] | |
| 'fairness1 | |
| —n | |
| fair2 (fɛə) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a travelling entertainment with sideshows, rides, etc, esp one that visits places at the same time each year |
| 2. | a gathering of producers of and dealers in a given class of products to facilitate business: a book fair |
| 3. | an event including amusements and the sale of goods, esp for a charity; bazaar |
| 4. | a regular assembly at a specific place for the sale of goods, esp livestock |
| [C13: from Old French feire, from Late Latin fēria holiday, from Latin fēriae days of rest: related to festus | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fair
O.E. fæger "beautiful, pleasant," from P.Gmc. *fagraz (cf. O.N. fagr, O.H.G. fagar "beautiful," Goth. fagrs "fit"), from PIE *fag-. The meaning in reference to weather (c.1200) preserves the original sense (opposed to foul). Sense of "light complexioned" (1550s) reflects
tastes in beauty; sense of "free from bias" (mid-14c.) evolved from another early meaning, "morally pure, unblemished" (late 12c.). The sporting senses (fair ball, fair catch etc.) began in 1856. Fair play is from 1590s; fair and square is from c.1600. Fair-haired in the figurative sense of "darling, favorite" is from 1909. First record of fair-weather friends is from 1736.
fair
early 14c., from Anglo-Fr. feyre (late 13c.), from O.Fr. feire, from V.L. *feria "holiday, market fair," from L. feriæ "religious festival, holiday" (see feast).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
fair to middling
Mediocre, pretty good, so-so, as in I asked them how they liked their new home and John answered, "Fair to middling. This phrase, often a reply to an inquiry about one's health, business, or the like, is redundant, since fair and middling both mean "moderately good." [Mid-1800s] Also see can't complain.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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