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Synonyms

square deal

1 American  

noun

  1. a fair and honest arrangement or transaction.

Square Deal 2 American  

noun

U.S. History.

  1. the stated policy of President Theodore Roosevelt, originally promising fairness in all dealings with labor and management and later extended to include other groups.

square deal Idioms  

  1. A just, equitable arrangement or transaction, as in I know I'll get a square deal if I work with that supplier. This idiom uses square in the sense of “fair” or “honest,” a usage dating from the 1300s. [Late 1800s]

Etymology

Origin of square deal

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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.

“Haven’t I given you a square deal, Miss Goldman?”

From The New Yorker • Nov. 4, 2019

“I will apply the law faithfully and fearlessly and without regard to persons. … Any law is going to get a fair and square deal with me.”

From Washington Times • Mar. 28, 2017

“Anyone, any law, is going to get a fair and square deal with me,” Gorsuch said.

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2017

He waged war against the powerful business trusts in pursuit of a "square deal" for average Americans, but his party turned away.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2014

Most Americans, in everything, want "a square deal."

From Lest We Forget World War Stories by Bigwood, Inez

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.