so-so

Definition

Neither good nor bad; tolerable, passable, indifferent.

Etymology

From Middle English so so, from Old English swā swā, equivalent to so + so. Compare Dutch zozo (“so-so”), German soso (“so-so”), Norwegian så som så (“so-so”).

Example Sentences

• "The dessert was pretty good, but the meal was so-so."
• "[I]n ſome Iriſh Houſes, vvhere things are ſo-ſo, / One Gammon of Bacon hangs up for a ſhow; […]"
• "He [Robert Burns] certainly wrote some so-so verses to the Tree of Liberty."