play fast and loose

Cultural  

1. 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.”

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play fast and loose Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

"In the event that the government did attempt to play fast and loose with the public finances, we would expect bond markets to put it in check," the economist said.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026

Responding to the figures, Chief Secretary to the Treasury James Murray said the government would "never play fast and loose with the public finances".

From BBC • Oct. 21, 2025

Now there’s an argument across social media: Did Sweeney and the retailer play fast and loose with eugenics to sell jeans?

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2025

She added that the current case was “very clear evidence, you know, of his willingness to play fast and loose with secret and top secret documents.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2023

And—and it just so happened that I was in a position to play fast and loose with no regard for possible consequences to myself.

From The Monk of Hambleton by Livingston, Armstrong