fast and loose
adverb
1
: in a reckless or irresponsible manner
played fast and loose with the public purse strings—
Paul Stuewe
Paul Stuewe2
: in a craftily deceitful way
manipulated evidence … and played fast and loose with the truth—C. V. Woodward
C. V. WoodwardExamples of fast and loose in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The fast and loose philosophy was not going to hold water against a thoroughly professional South African unit.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The rating never came though — Prey played too fast and loose with comics canon to court fans still starved for authentic adaptations, yet leaned on comics references hard enough to possibly alienate newcomers.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Will The Rock be fast and loose with his language on live TV?
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
There will be some nights where the power play carries the Red Wings, but getting fast and loose isn’t really an option for this group, as seen by 6-4 and 5-4 losses to Anaheim and San Jose last week.
—Max Bultman, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
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Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The rating never came though — Prey played too fast and loose with comics canon to court fans still starved for authentic adaptations, yet leaned on comics references hard enough to possibly alienate newcomers.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Will The Rock be fast and loose with his language on live TV?
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
There will be some nights where the power play carries the Red Wings, but getting fast and loose isn’t really an option for this group, as seen by 6-4 and 5-4 losses to Anaheim and San Jose last week.
—Max Bultman, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for fast and loose
Cite this Entry
“Fast and loose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fast%20and%20loose. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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