TV shows, films, books, and other sources of media use figurative language and phrases to keep us invested. One phrase you’ve probably heard more than once is “all’s fair in love and war”, but what exactly does it mean?
“All’s fair in love and war” is a phrase used to justify acts. Most of the time, these acts are generally considered bad. For example, if a businessman stole another business’s customers by using shady business tactics, that businessman could say “all’s fair in love and war”. It describes a situation where people bend the rules to fit their needs.
The rest of this article will cover the meaning of the phrase, and how to use it.
“All’s Fair In Love And War” Origin and Meaning
The saying came from 1579 when a poet named John Lyly wrote the idiom “the rules of fair play do not apply in love and war”. As time went on, the phrase evolved and became “all’s fair in love and war”. Although it has many uses, it’s an excuse to justify acts like cheating.
It was originally in the novel “Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit”. When this came out, the expression slowly but surely became more popular. The phrase is used to describe a situation where people don’t follow normal rules and behavior, often doing things considered ‘unfair’.
Oxford defines it as a justification. That means you can do anything to achieve your goal, and it’ll be considered justifiable. The reason why it’s called love and war is because many consider love and war two things that you can do anything for, and it’s justifiable.
How To Use “All’s Fair In Love And War”
You don’t need to add anything to “all’s fair in love and war”. On its own, it’s a complete sentence. However, you can add the phrase to the end of a sentence to justify what you’re doing. Take these three examples:
“I cheated on my biology exam, but I really need good grades, and all’s fair in love and war.”
“You messed with me, so I messed with you. All’s fair in love and war.”
“All’s fair in love and war, so Jay did everything he could to get Reina to fall in love with him.”
Those sentences all work well with the phrase, and they all justify an act. That’s how you properly use the phrase.
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