play fast and loose

Save This Word!

To behave dishonorably; to make a promise and fail to deliver on it: “It sounds like a good deal, but I hope that real estate agent isn't just playing fast and loose with me.”

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby play fast and loose

player, player character, player piano, play fair, play false, play fast and loose, playfellow, play footsie, play for, play for keeps, play for laughs

How to use play fast and loose in a sentence

You cannot be permitted to play fast-and-loose with a gentleman of M. le Marquis' quality!
Scaramouche|Rafael Sabatini
It is an uncommon character that can play fast-and-loose with itself in this manner.
The Life and Genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne|Frank Preston Stearns

Other Idioms and Phrases with play fast and loose

play fast and loose

Be recklessly irresponsible, unreliable, or deceitful, as in This reporter is known for playing fast and loose with the facts. This term probably originated in a 16th-century game called “fast and loose,” played at country fairs. A belt was doubled and held with the loop at table's edge, and the player had to catch the loop with a stick as the belt was unrolled—an impossible feat. The term was already used figuratively by the late 1500s, especially for trifling with someone's affections.