Middlings

[mid-ling] /ˈmɪd lɪŋ/

adjective
1.
medium, moderate, oraverage in size, quantity, or quality:
The returns on such a large investment may be only middling.
2.
mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; pedestrian:
The restaurant’s entrées are no better than middling.
3.
Older Use. in fairly good health.
adverb
4.
moderately; fairly.
noun
5.
middlings, any of various products or commodities of intermediate quality, grade, size, etc., as the coarser particles of ground wheat mingled with bran.
6.
Often, middlings. Also called middling meat. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. salt pork or smoked side meat.
/ˈmɪdlɪŋz/
plural noun
1.
the poorer or coarser part of flour or other products
2.
commodities of intermediate grade, quality, size, or price
3.
(mainly US) the part of a pig between the ham and shoulder
/ˈmɪdlɪŋ/
adjective
1.
mediocre in quality, size, etc; neither good nor bad, esp in health (often in the phrase fair to middling)
adverb
2.
(informal) moderately: middling well
adj.

1540s, from Scottish mydlyn (mid-15c.), from middle + suffix -ing. Used to designate the second of three grades of goods. As an adverb by 1719.
see: fair to middling