Meanings
- Literally, what is good for a female goose is equally good for a male goose (gander); or, what is good for a woman should be equally good for a man.
- If something is good for one person, it should be equally good for another person; someone who treats another in a certain way should not complain if the same is done to them.
Origin
From earlier what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander (1670s). Other early forms include “as deep drinketh the goose as the gander” (1562).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Spanish ley pareja no es dura
- ley pareja no es durasomething good for one person should be equally good for another person
Cite this entry
what's good for the goose is good for the gander. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what's%20good%20for%20the%20goose%20is%20good%20for%20the%20gander
“what's good for the goose is good for the gander.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what's%20good%20for%20the%20goose%20is%20good%20for%20the%20gander. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “what's good for the goose is good for the gander,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/what's%20good%20for%20the%20goose%20is%20good%20for%20the%20gander.
Source: what's good for the goose is good for the gander on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.