All's fair in love and war

1. People in love and soldiers in wartime are not bound by the rules of fair play.

This proverb is frequently used when two people are contending for the love of a third.

Idioms and Phrases

Any conduct is permissible in certain circumstances, as in Of course he called her—all's fair in love and war. This maxim, stated in various forms from 1579 on, today sometimes appears altered by an addition or substitution, as in All's fair in love and the World Series, or All's fair in love and war and an election year.

Example Sentences

All’s fair in love and war and primaries.

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“I love that because it also all’s fair in love and war and politics.”

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A Zambian woman took her beau to court for failing to pop the question after eight years of dating, though the judge ruled that all’s fair in love and war.

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“I think some folks will say, ‘All’s fair in love and war,’ but it highlights the risk of developing this technology without thinking about its use in the hands of all possible actors.”

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We have clichés like “all’s fair in love and war,” and I think we kind of mean it about sex, too.

Read more on Slate