серединка на половинку

• СЕРЕДИНКА НА ПОЛОВИНКУ <НА ПОЛОВИНКЕ>; СЕРЕДИНА НА ПОЛОВИНУ <НА ПОЛОВИНЕ>; СЕРЕДКА НА ПОЛОВИНКУ <НА ПОЛОВИНКЕ, НА ПОЛОВИНУ, НА ПОЛОВИНЕ> all coll

[NP; these forms only; fixed WO]

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1. [usu. subj-compl with copula (subj: any noun)]

⇒ a person (a thing etc) does not possess the distinguishing characteristics of either of the two (expressed or implied) extremes, is somewhere in the middle:

- [when the two extremes are specified by the preceding context] neither this nor that;

- neither one nor the other;

- something (somewhere) in between;

- [when used in refer, to a qualitative evaluation] ordinary;

- just average;

- middling;

- run-of-the-mill;

- commonplace.

     ♦ Тебе могут говорить разное, умное и глупое и серёдка на половинку... (Аксёнов 1). People may tell you different things, wise and foolish and neither one nor the other... (1a).

     ♦ [Таня:] Думаете, очень из себя хороши? [Григорий:] А что, неприятен? [Таня:] Так, ни приятен, ни неприятен, а серёдка на половину (Толстой 3). [Т.:] Think you're beautiful, do you? [G.:] What-ugly, am I? [T.:] Not ugly. Not handsome. Just average (3b).

2. [adv]

⇒ neither poorly nor well, in a mediocre fashion:

- (only) so-so;

- not great;

- fair to middling.

     ♦ Экзамены Саша сдал серединка на половинку. Sasha did only so-so on his exams.