What is "fair play"

Fair \Fair\ (f[^a]r), a. [Compar. Fairer; superl. Fairest.] [OE. fair, fayer, fager, AS. f[ae]ger; akin to OS. & OHG. fagar, Icel. fagr, Sw. fager, Dan. faver, Goth. fagrs fit, also to E. fay, G. f["u]gen, to fit. fegen to sweep, cleanse, and prob. also to E. fang, peace, pact, Cf. Fang, Fain, Fay to fit.]

1. Free from spots, specks, dirt, or imperfection; unblemished; clean; pure.

   A fair white linen cloth.
   --Book of Common Prayer.

2. Pleasing to the eye; handsome; beautiful.

   Who can not see many a fair French city, for one fair French made.
   --Shak.

3. Without a dark hue; light; clear; as, a fair skin.

   The northern people large and fair-complexioned.
   --Sir M. Hale.

4. Not overcast; cloudless; clear; pleasant; propitious; favorable; -- said of the sky, weather, or wind, etc.; as, a fair sky; a fair day.

   You wish fair winds may waft him over.
   --Prior.

5. Free from obstacles or hindrances; unobstructed; unincumbered; open; direct; -- said of a road, passage, etc.; as, a fair mark; in fair sight; a fair view.

   The caliphs obtained a mighty empire, which was in a fair way to have enlarged.
   --Sir W. Raleigh.

6. (Shipbuilding) Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; -- said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.

7. Characterized by frankness, honesty, impartiality, or candor; open; upright; free from suspicion or bias; equitable; just; -- said of persons, character, or conduct; as, a fair man; fair dealing; a fair statement. ``I would call it fair play.''
   --Shak.

8. Pleasing; favorable; inspiring hope and confidence; -- said of words, promises, etc.

   When fair words and good counsel will not prevail on us, we must be frighted into our duty.
   --L' Estrange.

9. Distinct; legible; as, fair handwriting.

10. Free from any marked characteristic; average; middling; as, a fair specimen. The news is very fair and good, my lord. --Shak. Fair ball. (Baseball)

    1. A ball passing over the home base at the height called for by the batsman, and delivered by the pitcher while wholly within the lines of his position and facing the batsman.

    2. A batted ball that falls inside the foul lines; -- called also a fair hit. Fair maid. (Zo["o]l.)

       1. The European pilchard ( Clupea pilchardus) when dried.

       2. The southern scup ( Stenotomus Gardeni). [Virginia]

          Fair one, a handsome woman; a beauty,

          Fair play, equitable or impartial treatment; a fair or equal chance; justice.

          From fair to middling, passable; tolerable. [Colloq.]

          The fair sex, the female sex.

          Syn: Candid; open; frank; ingenuous; clear; honest; equitable; impartial; reasonable. See Candid.

n. Good behavior, following the rules phr. (context colloquial UK Irish English) (non-gloss definition: used to acknowledge or congratulate for something.)

Fair Play (in the original Swedish Rent spel) is a novel by Finnish author Tove Jansson, first published in 1989.

Fair Play is a 2014 Czech drama film directed by Andrea Sedláčková. It was selected as the Czech entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

Fair Play or Fairplay usually refers to Sportsmanship.

It may also refer to:

• Fair and unfair play, in cricket
• The Fair Play for Cuba Committee, an activist group in the United States early in 1960
• Fairplay Index, a ranking system used by the Super League and Rugby League Championship rugby league competitions to determine the fairest team
• Fair Play Men, squatters who established their own system of self-rule from 1773 to 1785 in what became Pennsylvania
• FIFA Fair Play Trophy, the award given to the team with the cleanest disciplinary record during the finals of the FIFA World Cup
• FIFA Fair Play Award - not to be confused with the above, a formal recognition of good sportsmanship in football (soccer) in general
• FIFA Fair Play campaign, a campaign which aims to increase sportsmanship as well as prevent discrimination in the game of football.
• UEFA Fair Play ranking, a ranking system used by Union of European Football Associations
• UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations

In the United States:

• Fair Play, California
  • Fair Play AVA, California wine region in El Dorado County
• Fair Play, Missouri
• Fair Play, New Jersey
• Fairplay, Ohio
• Fair Play, South Carolina
• Fair Play, Wisconsin
• Fairplay, Colorado
• Fairplay, Kentucky
• Fairplay, Maryland

• Fair Play (film), a 2014 Czech film
• Fairplay (magazine), a weekly shipping news magazine
• Fair Play (novel), English title of Finnish author Tove Jansson's novel Rent spel

• FairPlay, a Digital Rights Management (DRM) system from Apple Inc.
• Fair Play (horse), American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse
• Fair Play Scoreboards, a scoreboard company that manufactures electronic displays, video boards, and scoreboards
• Jon Dalton, also known as Jonny Fairplay, a participant on the reality TV show Survivor: Pearl Islands
• Chwarae Teg, Welsh for Fair Play and a charity organisation in Wales

Fair Play (April 1, 1905 – December 17, 1929) was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse that was successful on the track, but even more so as a sire.

His grandsire was Spendthrift, whose grandsire was the English Triple Crown champion West Australian.

While successful on the track until an injury cut short his racing career, Fair Play gained his most fame as a sire. Among his better progeny were:

• Display - 1926 Preakness Stakes winner and sire of Discovery
• Man o' War - chosen #1 in the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
• Mad Play - 1924 Belmont Stakes winner
• Ladkin - 1924 International Stakes No.2 winner
• Mad Hatter - 1921 U.S. Champion Older Male Horse
• Chance Play - 1927 United States Horse of the Year
• Chance Shot - 1927 Belmont Stakes winner; sire of Belmont Stakes winner Peace Chance
• Fairmount - U.S. Hall of Fame steeplechase champion

Following the death of owner August Belmont, Jr., in 1924, Fair Play was sold to Joseph E. Widener, proprietor of Elmendorf Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, where he remained until his death on December 17, 1929. Widener, a dedicated horseman, buried Fair Play in the Elmendorf Farm cemetery and erected a nearly life-size bronze statue at the head of his grave. Fairplay is in the ancestral lineage of Man o' War, Secretariat, and American Pharoah.