fast and loose

adverb

Updated on: 1 Apr 2018

1 : in a reckless or irresponsible manner

played fast and loose with the public purse strings
—Paul Stuewe

2 : in a craftily deceitful way

manipulated evidence … and played fast and loose with the truth
—C. V. Woodward

Recent Examples of fast and loose from the Web

If Vote Leave is found to have breached the rules, that will support the notion that Leavers played fast and loose in 2016.

— The Economist, "Did Vote Leave cheat to win the Brexit referendum?," 27 Mar. 2018
Facebook got caught playing fast and loose with our personal data.

— Fox News, "Gutfeld: The mistake Joe is making in his 2020 audition," 25 Mar. 2018
The Tigers play fast and loose: Guards Demontrae Jefferson and Donte Clark average 42 points (and 5.9 turnovers) per game between them.

— the si staff, SI.com, "NCAA Bracket Advice Roundtable: March Madness Upset Picks, Trends to Avoid and More," 14 Mar. 2018
Trump, for his part, says Schiff has been playing fast and loose with the nation’s secrets.

— massimo calabresi, Time, "How Rep. Adam Schiff Became a Central Character in the Trump-Russia Fight," 8 Mar. 2018
Lawyers and accountants who look the other way when corporate clients play fast and loose, who even collude with them to skirt the law.

— robert reich, Newsweek, "Robert Reich: The Erosion Of Common Good In Trump's America," 7 Mar. 2018
Depending on your point of view, this high school basketball coach in Savannah, Ga., is either a pioneer or playing fast and loose with the rules.

— pete grathoff, kansascity, "Basketball coach plays defense on sideline. Is it a smart move or bad sportsmanship? | The Kansas City Star," 2 Mar. 2018
The Buckeyes played fast and loose, and beat then-No.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "Ohio State basketball daily nuggets: Help from Brad Stevens; Buckeyes have nothing to lose in New York," 1 Mar. 2018
Wolff, for his part, has been criticized in the past for playing fast and loose with the facts, a portrayal the Trump administration has seized upon in recent days.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Fire and Fury: New Book About Trump White House Sparks Outrage, Intrigue, Book Sales," 7 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fast and loose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.