not cricket

Idioms

Unfair, unsportsmanlike, as in It's not cricket to let him go without notice. This term, in which the sport of cricket is equated with upright behavior, survives in America despite the relative unfamiliarity of the sport there. [Mid-1800s]

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.

It is not cricket or politics that triggers the most ardent debate in Antigua and Barbuda.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2025

I'm very sporty like James, like Alf Wight, but not cricket.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2022

At the time, most houses kept their storefronts partially covered with drab fabric and speaking to the media was not cricket.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2020

Rare, almost always accidental and, we’ve got to say it once in this guide, just not cricket.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2019

I stopped abruptly, realizing that this was not cricket.

From The Firefly of France by Angellotti, Marion Polk

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023