Origin and Meaning:
The phrase "fair to middling" originated in the 18th century and is believed to have originated from agricultural practices. It referred to the quality of grain harvested, where "fair" represented a good harvest and "middling" represented a harvest of average quality.
Over time, the phrase became used more broadly to describe anything of average quality, neither particularly good nor bad. It implies a level of mediocrity or ordinariness.
Example:
"The restaurant's food was fair to middling, nothing spectacular but nothing terrible either."
Note: The term "midland" does not relate to the phrase. The phrase is "fair to middling."