Idiom
Fair and square
If you win or get something fair and square, you do it honestly and by the rules, with no cheating or tricks.
How people use it
People usually say it to defend a result: "We beat them fair and square." It is common after games, contests, auctions and deals. The rhyme makes it catchy, and the tone is informal and friendly. It often follows verbs like win, beat, earn and buy. Saying it can also end an argument, since it insists that nobody broke the rules. It can describe a person's dealings too, as in "He's always been fair and square with us."
Examples
- Our team lost last year, but this time we won fair and square.
- Priya bought the old piano fair and square at the auction.
- Stop complaining; she beat you fair and square.
Where it comes from
"Square" has meant honest or straightforward since the 1500s, probably from the carpenter's square, a tool for making true right angles. Pairing it with "fair" gave a catchy rhyming phrase that was in use by around 1600. The same sense of square survives in phrases like "a square deal."
Check yourself
1. If someone won a race fair and square, how did they win?
Answer: Honestly and by the rules. Fair and square means honest, with no cheating or tricks.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Grace earned the top grade fair and square by studying hard.. The idiom means honestly and by the rules, so copying answers does not fit.
Word game fan? See every word hiding in SQUARE.