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The meaning and origin of the expression: Fair play

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What's the meaning of the phrase 'Fair play'?

'Fair play' is the properly conducted conditions for a game, giving all participants an equal chance. The expression is also used more widely to mean fairness and justice in contexts other than games.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Fair play'?

Fair playShakespeare coined this phrase and used it in several of his plays; for example, The Tempest, 1610:

Yes, for a score of kingdoms you should wrangle,
And I would call it, fair play.

The term migrated into 'fair dinkum', which is well-known as an Australian phrase but may have travelled there from England. An unambiguously Australian term meaning the same thing as 'fair play' is the more recent 'fair go'. This is first recorded in the Australian author Lewis Stone's book Jonah, 1911:


See also - foul play.

See other - phrases and sayings from Shakespeare.