play fair

Idioms  

1. Behave honestly and honorably, obey the rules, as in Not every supplier we deal with plays fair, or We can't just leave them to find their own way back—that's not playing fair. Although this idiom conjures up playing by the rules in some game or sport, it actually has been used in this figurative way since the mid-1400s. Also see play the game.

---

Example Sentences

Her father’s second-in-command, the handsome Jack Dean, insists family members play fair in obeying their father’s will.

From Los Angeles Times

The media doesn’t always play fair when it scents a scalp.

From BBC

Until we have a national fix, or a Supreme Court less determined to help Republicans win, we are stuck with a nationally gerrymandered map of blue and red states, with little incentive for either party to play fair.

From Salon

Until we have a national fix, or a Supreme Court that is less determined to help Republicans win elections, we are stuck with the mess that we have: A nationally gerrymandered map of blue and red states with little incentive for either party to play fair.

From Salon

They tend not to play fair, and “Good Girl’s Guide” is no exception.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• manage