PLAY FAST AND LOOSE Definition & Meaning

play fast and loose

To behave dishonorably; to make a promise and fail to deliver on it: “It sounds like a good deal, but I hope that real estate agent isn't just playing fast and loose with me.”

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Idioms and Phrases

Be recklessly irresponsible, unreliable, or deceitful, as in This reporter is known for playing fast and loose with the facts . This term probably originated in a 16th-century game called “fast and loose,” played at country fairs. A belt was doubled and held with the loop at table's edge, and the player had to catch the loop with a stick as the belt was unrolled—an impossible feat. The term was already used figuratively by the late 1500s, especially for trifling with someone's affections.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"We must go further and faster to create an agile and productive state that works for people," said Darren Jones, chief secretary to the Treasury, adding that the government "will never play fast and loose with the public finances".

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Never play fast and loose with the grand old FA Cup.

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The offer to donate 10% of the Bitcoin to the local community was encouraging the council to "play fast and loose" by "signing up for a share of the action," said Mr Goudie.

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Council barrister James Goudie KC said Mr Howells' offer to donate 10% of the Bitcoin to the local community was encouraging the council to "play fast and loose" by "signing up for a share of the action".

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"This government will never play fast and loose with the public finances. Our new robust fiscal rules will deliver stability by getting debt down while prioritising investment to deliver growth."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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