above board
Legitimate, honest, or legal. I expected that big company to try to take advantage of us, but so far all of their dealings with us have been above board. These documents look above board to me, Tom—go ahead and process them. Their proposal sounds above board to me. Do you have any objections, Sarah?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
above board
COMMON If a situation or business is above board, it is honest and legal. Anyone who wants to inspect our books can see for themselves that we are totally above board. Note: You can use above-board before nouns. If this export had been conducted in an honest and above-board fashion, they would have had no difficulty in reclaiming tax paid on the gold. Note: This expression comes from card games in which players place their bets on a board or table. Actions above the table, where other players can see them, are probably fair.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
above board
honest; not secret. Above board was originally a gambling term, indicating fair play by players who kept their hands above the board (i.e. the table).
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
above ˈboard
honest and open; not secret: All my dealings with the company have been completely above board.If card players keep their hands above the table (the board), other players can see what they are doing.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017