[Idiom] help me to understand

[Star39]

Hello everyone.

I met this idiom in "The British Council" book -> to be fair game

could you help me to understand it right?

so far i got it it means "to play fair in a game", like "follow the rules, don't cheat" etc.

am i right? or there is some other meaning?

 

[fountofwisdom]

game has another meaning: it refers to animals that are hunted (traditionally by nobility). It is forbidden to hunt some animals. Game includes Pheasants and deer. Fair game is something that you are entitled to hunt, and would be a reasonable adversary.

 

[srinidhibekal]

is that the meaning.. i never knew it would be so

 

[billmcd]

Agree w/Gillnetter.

 

[Anglika]

Both Gilnetter and fountofwisdom are essentially saying the same thing. fountofwisdom gives the better origin for the idiom [apart from the "nobility" bit - most game-hunting was and is carried out by the middle class, particularly farmers and such].