Idioms

middle-of-the-road

Also found in: Dictionary, Wikipedia.

middle-of-the-road

1. Describing an option that is neither the most nor the least expensive. I don't need a high-end TV, but I don't want the cheapest one either. I'm looking for a middle-of-the-road option.
2. Moderate or centrist. Most of the voters found the candidate's middle-of-the-road platform to be reasonable and palatable.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

middle-of-the-road

COMMON
1. If you describe a person or their political ideas as middle-of-the-road, you mean that they are neither very left-wing nor very right-wing. He presents himself as a moderate, middle-of-the-road kind of person who understands and takes into consideration both sides of any issue. At some point during the '80s, the Labour Party turned into the party of middle-of-the-road socialism.
2. If someone or something is middle-of-the-road, they are very ordinary, and not unusual, exciting, or extreme. These are, for the most part, ordinary middle-of-the-road people who want the usual things out of life. They play very bland, middle-of-the-road music.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
See also:
References in periodicals archive
SCRAP MUSIC: Bill, left, and Peter want jobs back; BLUE CORNER: Middle-of-the-road Tel was a hit with Peter; RED CORNER: Moyles was the choice of Birthday boy Bill
Whatever your opinion of The Beautiful South, you would be hard-pressed to find anything middle-of-the-road about last night's hugely enjoyable performance.
When I said middle-of-the-road above, perhaps I was being unfair.
Fourteen independents of conservative or middle-of-the-road stripes and four reform-minded independents were also elected to the 44-member chamber.
He criticised Thatcherism for closing down the coal mines and breeding a `culture of self', saying: "We have a Government that's so middle-of-the-road. I miss the passion."
Perhaps most telling for aging bodies, alcohol and cigarettes prove far more alluring to those who at times experience mental anguish than to individuals whose middle-of-the-road mood never swerves.
In his typically understated manner, O'Gara goes on to say: "It would be helpful in my view, if the Catholic position, which is a middle-of-the-road position, were more clearly understood."
Strasburg says its the middle-of-the-road Members who will weigh the right thing to do with the political fallout.
In 1992, IRS publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income, took a middle-of-the-road approach, saying that the refund should be multiplied by a fraction: state tax paid (after the 3% reduction) is the numerator and the total state tax paid is the denominator.
The GTF took a fatal middle-of-the-road stance, and then passed the buck to its recommended predecessor, an ill-defined Northern Forest Lands Council.
Other entries include beigism - boring, middle-of-the-road attitudes' butters - very ugly girls and sadfab - women who are single and desperate for a baby.
Often, however, a Chinese meal will consist of several varied dishes, and a wine that will work well at a Chinese banquet is a medium-dry to lightly sweet riesling, a middle-of-the-road chardonnay or mild, full-bodied merlot.
Without explaining the term, he frequently touted "the third way," a middle-of-the-road approach that includes Marxist economics and international usurpation of nationhood.
DUBLIN'S Lite FM, the radio station that specialises in middle-of-the-road words and music, is seeking an investor keen to take a stake in the company - or possibly buy it out completely.
Savvy, sleek, crisp, and flat, Frank Nitsche's paintings make an honorable, middle-of-the-road style--gestural geometric abstraction--look suddenly like the fast lane.
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.