not cricket

Idioms  

1. 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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

not cricket

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

The game you play before you get white boots is not cricket, but a weak imitation.

From Tales of St. Austin's by P. G. (Pelham Grenville) Wodehouse