above board
11
3.9
- idiom
- /əˈbʌv bɔrd/
:
transparente
- Before signing the contract, she wanted assurance that everything was above board and properly documented.
- perfectly above board
- completely above board
- legal and above board
I'm sure it's all above board in Belize.
- I'm sure it's all above board in Belize.
- But yeah, I've managed to stay above board thus far.
- The the human law, which is above board, as we've said, manifest to all.
- And that's fine if you're above board about it and your fee isn't too.
- And it just turned out it was above board.
- But all these kids, everything was above board.
- So the only president that has been, how shall I say, above board, they took out with acute lead toxicity.
Examples
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Now, it's all perfectly above board.
Blog text (26) -
And you try so hard to make right, like I try to be an honest above board, do the right thing kind of person.
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No, no, the way we make money is much, much more above board than all of that.
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Everything I did was above board.
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Let us have it open and above board at last.
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All legal and above board.
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It's all open and above board.
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So we're all above board here.
Blog text (28) -
I'll make sure that everything stays above board.
-
Everything is above board and honest, right, Irving?
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Truthful and fair, not cheating or lying
16
7.7
Honest and legal
6
4.9
Open and honest, not secret or dishonest
Antonyms
How Honest
Surface Forms
Morphology
above + board
The meaning 'open and honest' does not follow from the literal spatial sense of 'above' plus the common senses of 'board' (a plank or a committee). This is an idiomatic, historically rooted phrase whose sense cannot be reliably predicted by a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words.
Etymology
The idiom above board may come from old card games where players kept their hands and cards above the table or board so no one could hide them. So the phrase now means 'open and honest'.