Fair and square
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
Honestly, directly and according to accepted rules, especially in a contest or transaction. Often follows win, beat or play. Square reinforces honesty rather than describing a shape. Regional use: English origin; now international English.
Origin
Square could mean upright, just or honest in sixteenth-century English, so the pair is emphatic rather than geometrical. George Puttenham described a constant person as 'a square man' in 1589, and Francis Bacon printed the compact 'Faire, and square' in Of Prophecies in 1604. Stories connecting the phrase to square boxing stances, rings or naval plates are unnecessary and unsupported.
Research Sources
Variants
- Win fair and square
- Beat someone fair and square
Usage Examples
- Lena won the tender fair and square under the published rules.
- They beat us fair and square, so excuses would be pointless.
- The mediator promised a fair-and-square division of the proceeds.