above board
above board — adjective
1. showing that a plan, deal, or action is honest, legal, and has nothing hidden
showing that a plan, deal, or action is honest, legal, and has nothing hidden
The charity kept all ticket sales above board during the summer fair.
collocation: keep sales above board
Manuela wanted the apartment search to stay above board and legal.
pattern: stay above board
After the audit, everyone agreed the contract process had been above board.
The coach promised parents that team payments would remain above board.
Nothing about the museum grant deal looked above board to reporters.
- honest
broader and more general; above board especially suggests nothing is being hidden
- legitimate
focuses more on legality or formal acceptance than on openness
- transparent
emphasises that other people can clearly see what is being done
文法句型
be above board
keep something above board
用法筆記
Often follows be, look, seem, or remain. Before a noun, English usually writes the hyphenated form above-board.