🗓️ Idiom: Fair and Square (adj/adv)
💬 Meaning
- Done in an honest and proper way, without cheating.
- A result that is achieved by following the rules.
🧠 Example Sentences
- She won the promotion fair and square, no special treatment.
- The deal was made fair and square, with clear terms for both sides.
- We lost the contract fair and square, so we can’t complain.
🏛️ Origin
The idiom dates back to the 1600s. “Fair” means honest, and “square” once meant proper or straight. Together, they came to mean something done honestly and by the rules. It’s still a popular phrase in both business and everyday English.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
We didn’t cheat. We won that client __________.
Answer
fair and square
2. Choose the correct meaning of “fair and square”:
A) By chance
B) In a dishonest way
C) In an honest and proper way
Answer
C) In an honest and proper way
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“They followed the rules and earned the award honestly.” → Change the sentence using: fair and square
Answer
They won the award fair and square.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
