"down the middle" meaning in English

{
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Divided into two equal parts."
      ],
      "id": "en-down_the_middle-en-prep_phrase-L1EufrOj",
      "links": [
        [
          "Divided",
          "divide"
        ],
        [
          "equal",
          "equal"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "down the middle"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more down the middle",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most down the middle",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "down the middle (comparative more down the middle, superlative most down the middle)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "55 45",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "58 42",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              252,
              267
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2025 May 13, Richard Fausset, quoting Louis Prevost, “The Pope’s Florida Brother, a MAGA Disciple, Plans to ‘Tone It Down’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Mr. Prevost, who described himself to Mr. Morgan as a “MAGA type,” said the new pope was “much more liberal” than he was — although, when asked, he said that he would not necessarily call his brother “woke.” He said he expected Leo XIV to play things “down the middle.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Centrist; not leaning too heavily in favor of a particular political, religious, etc. persuasion."
      ],
      "id": "en-down_the_middle-en-adj-AO6VZ~5c",
      "links": [
        [
          "Centrist",
          "centrist"
        ],
        [
          "lean",
          "lean"
        ],
        [
          "heavily",
          "heavily"
        ],
        [
          "political",
          "political"
        ],
        [
          "religious",
          "religious"
        ],
        [
          "persuasion",
          "persuasion"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "down the middle"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Divided into two equal parts."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Divided",
          "divide"
        ],
        [
          "equal",
          "equal"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "down the middle"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more down the middle",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most down the middle",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "down the middle (comparative more down the middle, superlative most down the middle)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              252,
              267
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2025 May 13, Richard Fausset, quoting Louis Prevost, “The Pope’s Florida Brother, a MAGA Disciple, Plans to ‘Tone It Down’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:",
          "text": "Mr. Prevost, who described himself to Mr. Morgan as a “MAGA type,” said the new pope was “much more liberal” than he was — although, when asked, he said that he would not necessarily call his brother “woke.” He said he expected Leo XIV to play things “down the middle.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Centrist; not leaning too heavily in favor of a particular political, religious, etc. persuasion."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Centrist",
          "centrist"
        ],
        [
          "lean",
          "lean"
        ],
        [
          "heavily",
          "heavily"
        ],
        [
          "political",
          "political"
        ],
        [
          "religious",
          "religious"
        ],
        [
          "persuasion",
          "persuasion"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "down the middle"
}