on the level

Slang Dictionary

on the level definition


  1. mod.
    honest; straightforward. : Come on now. Be on the level with me.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

on the level

Honest, straightforward, sincere, as in You can believe hershe's on the level. This expression may have come from Freemasonry, where the carpenter's level symbolizes integrity. [Late 1800s]

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