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To play fast and loose means to behave recklessly, unreliably, or immorally. When someone uses this phrase, they indicate that an individual’s actions show little respect for rules, ethics, or boundaries. This term often points to hasty decisions without considering consequences.
May 10, 2024 · to play fast and loose. phrase [VERB inflects] If you say that someone is playing fast and loose, you are expressing disapproval of them for behaving in a deceitful, immoral, or irresponsible way. [disapproval] There have been people who have played fast and loose with the rules. See full dictionary entry for fast.
To act recklessly, unreliably, irresponsibly, or thoughtlessly toward someone or something; to treat someone or something with a lack of respect or seriousness. I know these tabloids play fast and loose with the truth, but they're such a guilty pleasure of mine!
Fast and loose definition: . See examples of FAST AND LOOSE used in a sentence.
What does the phrase fast and loose mean? There are five meanings listed in OED's entry for the phrase fast and loose, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence. fast and loose has developed meanings and uses in subjects including. gambling (late 1500s) mechanics (1800s) See meaning & use.
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Play fast and loose'? Be inconstant and unreliable. What's the origin of the phrase 'Play fast and loose'? This derives from an old deception or cheating game in which something that appears stuck (fast) easily becomes loose.
The idiom dates from the 1500s and derives from a cheating game called fast and loose that was played in The Middle Ages whereby gullible spectators would be invited to make a stick fast or bound with a belt or rope, only for the trickster to extract the stick easily and quickly.
