The meaning of run of the mill is ordinary and not special or exciting in any way. It is an adjective that can describe nouns, such as run-of-the-mill problems or a run-of-the-mill sofa. The phrase comes from the noun run, which means the quantity of work turned out in a continuous operation. Run-of-the-mill originally referred to manufactured goods that had not been graded or sorted for quality. Later, it was used in a figurative sense to mean something that is not outstanding or remarkable.
Some examples of using run of the mill in a sentence are:
- He gave a fairly run-of-the-mill speech.
- This article isn’t your run-of-the-mill timewaster.
- They are good ball teams, but they are run of the mill.
