What it means
A handy little put-down for something that's perfectly ordinary and a bit forgettable. It's not awful, it just hasn't got much spark. You'd use it for food, films, hotels, jobs, days, whatever feels plain, standard, and unlikely to stick in your head. Mildly dismissive, more of an eye-roll than a proper slagging.
Usage examples
"We watched that hyped new series last night. Total run-of-the-mill: a few laughs, loads of filler, and we forgot it by breakfast."
"It was a run-of-the-mill hotel, clean enough, beige everything, the kind you forget the second you check out."
"Just a run-of-the-mill Tuesday, work, shop, telly, nothing worth writing home about."
"The café looked cute on Instagram, but the brunch was proper run-of-the-mill once it hit the table."
"I thought the flat was gonna be special for that price, but it was just run-of-the-mill with fancy lighting."
Where it comes from
It started in the milling trade in the 1800s. Run-of-the-mill meant the regular output straight from the mill, not a specially sorted or higher-grade pick. From there it slid into everyday English and now gets used for anything standard, average, and nothing to get lyrical about.
