Middling

SOSO

Think of a casual way to describe something that’s neither great nor terrible—like a lukewarm review or a shrug-worthy performance.

"Middling" is a straightforward clue that directly hints at something average or neither good nor bad. The answer "SOSO" fits perfectly because it’s a common informal phrase meaning "so-so"—exactly that middle-ground feeling. No wordplay here, just a direct match between the clue’s meaning and the answer’s everyday usage.