Recently I heard someone being interviewed on NPR say “that’s all fair and well.” It took a few moments for me to figure out what bothered me about this phrase; then I remembered that the usual version is “all well and good.”
But that led me to wonder what the distinction might be between “well” and “good.” The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms seems to think there is none, calling it “a redundant phrase.”
The Oxford English Dictionary offers no comments on the meaning of the phrase, but notes that it first appears in 1548 as “wel and good.”
At first it seems to have been merely an especially emphatic way of saying “it’s all good,” but by the late 19th century it had become mostly used in connection with some qualification or comparison, as in sentences like “that’s all well and good, but we need to actually do something now that we’ve discussed it for two hours.”
Some sources suggest it now is used only in this sense, to prepare the way for a negative qualifying statement.
From the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary:
From the “Learn English Free” list of “Common Mistakes and Confusing Words in English”:
The Oxford Advanced American Dictionary pairs this expression with “that’s all very well,” which means the same thing.
So how did “fair” creep into the NPR interviewee’s version? My suspicion is that he was influenced by the similar phrase “that's fair enough,” as in this comment in the Urban Dictionary about Richard Dawkins:
Sometimes this mutates into “all fair enough,” which brings it closer to “all well and good.”
Of course “fair enough” has an even more common positive use signifying agreement with a proposition.
With nothing more to say on this subject, I bid you farewell.
But that led me to wonder what the distinction might be between “well” and “good.” The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms seems to think there is none, calling it “a redundant phrase.”
The Oxford English Dictionary offers no comments on the meaning of the phrase, but notes that it first appears in 1548 as “wel and good.”
At first it seems to have been merely an especially emphatic way of saying “it’s all good,” but by the late 19th century it had become mostly used in connection with some qualification or comparison, as in sentences like “that’s all well and good, but we need to actually do something now that we’ve discussed it for two hours.”
Some sources suggest it now is used only in this sense, to prepare the way for a negative qualifying statement.
From the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary:
From the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English:all well and good (informal)quite good, but not exactly what is wantedThat's all well and good, but why didn't he call her to say so?
that’s/it’s all well and good
spoken especially British English used to say that something is good or enjoyable, but it also has some disadvantages
Going off on foreign holidays is all well and good, but you’ve got to get back to reality sometime.
You may hear the saying "That's all well and good." It means something is basically ok, but with some shortcomings.
Building your own website is all well and good, but how will you encourage visitors?
There are occasional exceptions to this pattern, but most often “well and good” is followed by “but.”
The Oxford Advanced American Dictionary pairs this expression with “that’s all very well,” which means the same thing.
So how did “fair” creep into the NPR interviewee’s version? My suspicion is that he was influenced by the similar phrase “that's fair enough,” as in this comment in the Urban Dictionary about Richard Dawkins:
You may disagree with his views, and that's fair enough, but to insult him because he says things you don't like just makes you look petulant.
Sometimes this mutates into “all fair enough,” which brings it closer to “all well and good.”
Of course “fair enough” has an even more common positive use signifying agreement with a proposition.
You say you cooked dinner so I should do the dishes? Fair enough.
With nothing more to say on this subject, I bid you farewell.
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