Would you like to indicate that something is legally legitimate, or that something is not? The phrase 'above board' can be used in some contexts to say this, and it is a common phrase used in popular media and culture. This post looks at the meaning, origin and correct/incorrect use of the term.
Meaning
The saying 'above board' is a figure of speech that is common in the English language.
To say that something 'is above board' is a way of indicating that something is legitimate or legal.
The phrase 'above board' is used as a whole phrase, usually with the rest of what's being said used to provide context to what is being described as above board.
The phrase can also be used in the denial form to indicate that something is the opposite, or not legitimate or legal. In this instance, someone would say that something is 'not above board' instead.
As modern use of the phrase 'above board' it is often seen in business or professional use, though might also be used for an informal conversation.
The term 'above board' does not always have serious legal implications when it is said, but can simply refer to whether something is legitimate or authentic.
Incorrect use of the term can include its use as 'above bored' which would render its meaning useless and an invalid phrase. The phrase is also incorrect when it is used as 'above the board'.
Example Usage
“We went to the restaurant, but things just didn't look above board. When they served us weird smelling chicken out of two dirty plates, we decided that we were going to get the hell out of there.”
“If the cruise doesn't seem above board, then you shouldn't go there. Choose another holiday cruise, before you end up the next cruise disaster headline like the people who were lucky enough to be on the Titanic in the 1900s.”
“I knew that the lawyer who wrote up my mother's will wasn't above board. Now that we know the whole thing was written in red crayons, we can prove it.”
“If you think that things are above board in the kitchen, you should always check the inside of the freezer. You would be surprised at the amount of gross things a restaurant can hide in there.”
Origin
The origin of the phrase 'above board' is said to come from nautical terms, and it is believed that the term came into common English use in the 1600s: at the time, seafaring expressions became all the more popular in the language.
According to online etymology resources, the phrase is likely to have come from the idea that pirates were stored below deck – thus, that everything 'above board' would appear legitimate.
Many of these expressions, including 'above board', would remain with the language even though their nautical origins would fall away for their modern figurative meanings.
The phrase was first listed on the website Urban Dictionary in April 2006, even though the most common use of the phrase was centuries before.
Phrases Similar to Above Board
- The real McCoy
Phrases Opposite to Above Board
- Sketchy
What is the Correct Saying?
- [something is] above board
Ways People May Say Above Board Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'above board' in the wrong way, or misunderstand the common meaning of the saying.
A common misuse of the phrase is to say 'above the board' when this renders an incorrect, invalid phrase.
It is incorrect to say 'above bored' and this would also render an incorrect, invalid phrase.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Above Board
There are several ways in which the phrase 'above board' can be used in conversation to indicate that something is legitimate or legal.
Something can be 'above board' as legitimate or legal, or 'not above board' as not legitimate or potentially illegal.
The phrase implies that something unpleasant is hidden under the surface.