smack in the middle

Here’s the thing with California’s oranges: The California gold rush, smack in the middle of the 19th century, was an enormous splash in the placer pan.

“How to Die Alone” existed long before JD Vance mounted his campaign against childless women, but the timing of its debut landing smack in the middle of the cat lady era couldn’t be better.

The gold-medal-winning performance of Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastic team was watched by 12.7 million people across NBC’s platforms on July 30, even though it ran smack in the middle of the workday.

When you’re smack in the middle of that kind of political and emotional despair, it feels infinite and endless.

Comment: Hard to complain much about a bye right smack in the middle of the season.