fair and square

comparative more fair and square · superlative most fair and square

1. Totally fairly and undoubtedly.

   We won the game fair and square.

2. Within the applicable rules.

   They had crawled in and staked the land and stood ready to shoot those of us who came in, fair and square, in the Run.

   1930, Edna Ferber, Cimarron, page 23

   2 more examples

   He said they give licenses now to steal — steal folks'es senses away, and then they would steal every thing else, and murder, and tear round into every kind of wickedness. But he didn't ask that. He wanted things done fair and square: he jest wanted to steal horses. He was goin' West, and he thought he could do a good business, and lay up something. If he had a license, he shouldn't be afraid of bein' shot up, or shot.

   1885, Marietta Holley, Sweet Cicely; or, Josiah Allen as a politician, page 177

   For the "Most Accurate Assessment of an International Situation" the unanimous winner is the Republican U.S. Senate hopeful from California, S.E. Hayakawa. He said, "Of course we should keep the Panama Canal, we stole it fair and square."

   1976 October 28, Charlie Waters, quoting S. I. Hayakawa, “First biennial Harold Stassen Awards”, in The Prescott Courier

3. In all fairness; equitably.

   "Have it out with him to-night. Fair and square. Out he goes, Edmund, neck and crop. Out, by thunder."

   1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 76

1. not comparableUnquestionably fair.

   It was a fair and square deal. We won. And we won in the Senate. And it's in the bill. And I didn't think we could beat them, but we did.

   1995, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, page 1436

   1 more example

   “[…] I always liked you Joe, and stood up for you, too. Don’t you remember? You won’t tell, will you Joe?” And the poor creature dropped on his knees before the stolid murderer, and clasped his appealing hands. / “No, you’ve always been fair and square with me, Muff Potter, and I won’t go back on you.—There, now, that’s as fair as a man can say.”

   1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter IX, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, pages 91–92