English · Word pair Candidate

fast and loose

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Behaving recklessly or irresponsibly

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Hành động liều lĩnh hoặc bất trách nhiệm

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: playing with dice without following rules

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Sources & notes

Listed on Wikipedia “Irreversible binomial” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

to play FAST AND LOOSE with a man, is to treat him as a fast friend in the days while he is useful, and to cast him loose when he is no longer necessary; also, to equivocate or vacillate. In old days it was the name of a vulgar pastime. See PRICK THE GARTER.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đối xử giả dối hoặc thay đổi ý định

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “fast and loose” mean?

Behaving recklessly or irresponsibly Literally: playing with dice without following rules

Is “fast and loose” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.