aboveboard
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of aboveboard
1610–20; above + board; so called from the requirement of keeping the hands above the table or board in order to discourage possible cheating at cards
Explanation
If something is aboveboard, it's done in a completely honest, straightforward way. When a company's business dealings are aboveboard, they act in an honorable, open manner. It would be nice to think that everyone acts in a way that's aboveboard, but scandals involving money and shady business deals prove otherwise. You might say, "I don't trust that guy — it just doesn't seem aboveboard, the way he avoids answering my questions." This word was first used in the 17th century, reportedly from the idea that it's harder to cheat at cards if you keep your hand above the table, rather than hiding it in your lap.
Vocabulary lists containing aboveboard
Idioms and Expressions, List 4
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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And Then There Were None
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aboveboard, the tall grass around the pond was buckling under the weight of the snow, but the happy bulrushes stood tall under Cat in the Hat-high caps of powder.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
