fair shake
16
6.0
- noun
- /fɛr ʃeɪk/
- Informal
:
trato justo
- I deserve the right to a fair shake.
- get a fair shake
Are journalists of color getting a fair shake?
- Are journalists of color getting a fair shake?
- It's not to give old, old, old Ben Ben a a fair shake.
- People want to convert that knowledge to action and to get rid of the dictator so that everyone has a fair shake in society.
- I hadn't read ahead and there were some props and I feel like I wasn't giving it a fair shake.
- Joe had kind of mentioned that, that I don't remember his exact phrase, but it kind of sounded like he was saying you never got a fair shake.
- I just hope and pray that he gets an actual fair shake and he can walk away from it and really impactfully change the lives of young men in a positive way.
Examples
-
- Yeah, it just seems like it's hard for a guy to get a fair shake anymore.
-
They're afraid they won't get a fair shake.
Academic text (1993) -
All I wanted out of this trial was a fair shake.
-
It's important to our country, Jim... that this man is seen as getting a fair shake.
-
In Chicago, I gave everyone a fair shake as long as they played square with me.
-
People want those who are in economic trouble to get a fair shake.
Blog text (4) -
Everyone gets the same fair shake, and in the end, everyone wins.
Blog text (13) -
I think you'll find that I have a history of giving folks a fair shake.
Blog text (29) -
All surveys indicate that Americans support efforts to assure blacks a fair shake.
Academic text (1990) -
I try to give everybody a fair shake, but sometimes it can be difficult.
Synonyms
21
3.5
A situation where everyone has the same fair chance to succeed
10
2.8
Treatment that is just and equal for everyone
2
3.7
Fair and honest treatment of people in a situation or agreement
1
3.3
A situation where everyone has an equal chance and no one has unfair advantages
A fair chance to take part or succeed
To ask for everyone to have an equal chance
An equal chance to take part or benefit
An even chance for everyone to take part
How Fair
- Informal
16
6.0
12
2.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
fair + shake
The adjective 'fair' clearly signals equity, so learners will infer the phrase relates to being treated justly, but the noun 'shake' does not transparently mean 'chance' or 'opportunity' to a B1 learner and is somewhat idiomatic/dialectal. Because the overall sense is partly recoverable from 'fair' but the key noun sense is unpredictable without exposure, this should be rated as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Fair shake may come from the simple image of a fair shake—like a handshake to seal a fair deal or shaking a bag so each person gets the same share. So a 'fair shake' means 'an equal, fair chance'.