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foul play

noun

any treacherous or unfair dealing, especially involving murder:
We feared that he had met with foul play.
unfair conduct in a game.

foul play

noun

unfair or treacherous conduct esp with violence
a violation of the rules in a game or sport

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Word History and Origins

Origin of foul play¹

First recorded in 1600–10

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Idioms and Phrases

Unfair or treacherous action, especially involving violence. For example, The police suspected he had met with foul play . This term originally was and still is applied to unfair conduct in a sport or game and was being used figuratively by the late 1500s. Shakespeare used it in The Tempest (1:2): “�� foul play had we, that we came from thence?”

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Investigators will reportedly consider a range of possible causes, including foul play.

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Because there was no sign of foul play, the medical examiner did not overrule the relatives' objection.

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Mr Price said staff at Mr Davenport's retirement complex and a doctor did not initially suspect foul play because his death was expected to be imminent.

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According to law 12, as explained on the Football Association's website, "a tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play".

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Counter terrorism police are leading an investigation looking into whether there was any foul play.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

foul one's nest foul pole

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