fair and square

Idioms & Phrases

fair and square

Just and honest, as in He won the race fair and square. This redundant expressionfair and square mean essentially the same thingprobably owes its long life to its rhyme. [Early 1600s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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