Every month, we take a look at a word in the headlines, in English, for your English. See more at The Word of the Month.
Definition
Fair (adjective): Just; appropriate; equal
Fair (skin, hair): light (skin, hair)
Fairly (good): quite, relatively (good).
Fair in the news
March 8th marks International Women’s Day: commemorating unfairness to women annually since 1977.
The only fair thing about injustice is how fairly universal it is.
Fair expressions
Fair play: Honorable conduct. Good for polite society and tennis.
All’s fair in love and war: In some situations it’s acceptable to behave badly. Debatable.
Fair enough: Used when something appears reasonable. Touch me again and I’ll kick you in the balls, fair enough?
A history of fairness
70,000 BCE Nomadic men and women enjoy equal status.
12,000 BCE Agricultural Revolution. Women become property, men become bastards.
21st century: Most women can vote, but earn less than men and are disproportionately victims of violence. Unfair enough?