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• Turnabout is fair play
  Turnabout is fair play

  You had your turn; now it's only fair that I should have mine. (Compare Every dog has his day.)
• turnabout is fair play
  turnabout is fair play

  Taking alternate or successive turns at doing something is just and equitable. For example, Come on, I want to sit in the front seat now—turnabout is fair play. This justification for taking turns was first recorded in 1755.

Turnabout is fair play

Cultural  

1. You had your turn; now it's only fair that I should have mine. (Compare Every dog has his day.)

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turnabout is fair play Idioms  

1. Taking alternate or successive turns at doing something is just and equitable. For example, Come on, I want to sit in the front seat now—turnabout is fair play. This justification for taking turns was first recorded in 1755.

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Example Sentences

"Gremlins" stole the idea for Gizmo from the Ewoks, and turnabout is fair play.

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2022

Since turnabout is fair play, my plan was to challenge the tome’s very existence.

From Washington Post • May 18, 2018

You don't want to go to hers, so turnabout is fair play.

From Slate • Jan. 9, 2012

This father-son speech teaches the lad that turnabout is fair play: "I'll tell the world, / 'Forget about it, girl,' / And walk like a man from you."

From Time Magazine Archive

You’d think a reasonable person would understand that turnabout is fair play, but you’d be surprised how quickly reason goes out the window when the bugs start spraying back.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston