Fast and loose

Fast and loose
Loose Loose (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s"[~e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le['a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l["o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See {Lose}, and cf. {Leasing} falsehood.] 1. Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book. [1913 Webster]

Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc.; -- with from or of. [1913 Webster]

Now I stand Loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts ? --Addison. [1913 Webster]

3. Not tight or close; as, a loose garment. [1913 Webster]

4. Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture. [1913 Webster]

With horse and chariots ranked in loose array. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

5. Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning. [1913 Webster]

The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation. --Whewel. [1913 Webster]

6. Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right. [1913 Webster]

The loose morality which he had learned. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

7. Unconnected; rambling. [1913 Webster]

Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]

8. Lax; not costive; having lax bowels. --Locke. [1913 Webster]

9. Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman. [1913 Webster]

Loose ladies in delight. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

10. Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

{At loose ends}, not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed.

{Fast and loose}. See under {Fast}.

{To break loose}. See under {Break}.

{Loose pulley}. (Mach.) See {Fast and loose pulleys}, under {Fast}.

{To let loose}, to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Fast and loose — Fast Fast, a. [Compar. {Faster}; superl. {Fastest}.] [OE., firm, strong, not loose, AS. f[ae]st; akin to OS. fast, D. vast, OHG. fasti, festi, G. fest, Icel. fastr, Sw. & Dan. fast, and perh. to E. fetter. The sense swift comes from the idea of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fast and Loose — may refer to:Fast and Loose (con game) a cheating game sometimes known as The Strap Fast and Loose (film) a 1930 romatic comedy starring Miriam Hopkins and Carole Lombard Fast and Loose (1939 film) a 1939 detective comedy starring Robert… …   Wikipedia

  • fast and loose — described as a cheating game played with a stick and a belt or string, so arranged that a spectator would think he could make the latter fast by placing a stick through its intricate folds, whereas the operator could detach it at once. [James O.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • fast-and-loose — fastˈ and looseˈ noun A cheating game practised at fairs, the dupe being invited to put a stick in the loop of a coiled belt so that it cannot be pulled away (also called prick the garter) • • • Main Entry: ↑fast …   Useful english dictionary

  • fast and loose — index variable Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • fast and loose — adverb : recklessly, irresponsibly : in a craftily deceitful way formerly used in the phrase to play at fast and loose; now usually used in the phrase to play fast and loose playing fast and loose with concepts of right and wrong to justify our… …   Useful english dictionary

  • fast and loose — adverb Date: 1580 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 > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • fast and loose —  Irresponsible; deceitful.  ► “ In Asia, there is the potentially explosive combination of investmentbank salesmen from the financial capitals of the West playing fast and loose and their inexperienced Asian counterparts. The financial fire they… …   American business jargon

  • Fast and Loose (con game) — Fast and Loose is a cheating game played at fairs by sharpers. Also known as Pricking the Garter (Renaissance), The Strap (1930 con man argot), and The Old Army Game (World War II). In older periods, the leather or cloth webbing garters that men… …   Wikipedia

  • Fast and loose pulleys — Fast Fast, a. [Compar. {Faster}; superl. {Fastest}.] [OE., firm, strong, not loose, AS. f[ae]st; akin to OS. fast, D. vast, OHG. fasti, festi, G. fest, Icel. fastr, Sw. & Dan. fast, and perh. to E. fetter. The sense swift comes from the idea of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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