Green’s Dictionary of Slang

square adv.

[square adj.]
(US)

1. completely, unreservedly.

[UK]W. Chamberlayne Love’s Victory 22: 1 tra.: Come neighbours, shal’s crack each one’s our Kan. [...] 2 tra.: Our Kans, hang the muddle horsedrench, Let’s drink each of us our groat square off. Brisk sack, this forain liquor be but Adulterates our blouds.
[US]‘Philip Paxton’ A Stray Yankee in Texas 96: Jest come out square and say ef yer did run ater the verment.
[US]C.G. Leland ‘Breitmann in Politics’ in Hans Breitmann About Town 57: Und ere I norate to you, / I think it only fair / We should oonderstand each other / Prezactly, chunk and square.
[US]Congressional Record 5 July 4397/1: If the Senator from Vermont [...] does not like to vote square against [this bill] [...], this is the right way to defeat it [DA].
[US]E.W. Townsend Chimmie Fadden 1: How’d I collar it? Square. See? Dead square, and easy.
[US]A.H. Lewis Boss 197: That long term an’ big salary works square th’ other way.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 5 Aug. 47/2: You know how bashful er bloke gets erbout er tart ’e’s square shook on?
B. Tarkington Gentle Julia 213: There’s no etiquette in coming right square out and asking how much it was [DA].

2. fairly, honestly, straightforwardly.

[UK]J. Greenwood Little Ragamuffin 258: If they’d act square and honest with a feller [...].
[US]Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 14 Sept. n.p.: Mortimer [...] surrendered, saying he would act ‘square’ and [...] handing over a ‘chive’ made of a watch spring.
[US]J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 389: Should he find any of them not willing to ‘rake square,’ he would fall upon the unlucky wight with a heavy hickory cane.
[UK]Five Years’ Penal Servitude 270: They can very soon know if he is going ‘cross’ or ‘square’.
[Scot]R.L. Stevenson Treasure Island 14: We’ll sit down, if you please, and talk square, like old shipmates.
[US](con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 125: What is the matter with your pap? Answer up square, now.
[US]J. Hawthorne Confessions of Convict 71: They act square to their pals.
[Aus]Truth (Sydney) 8 July 1/3: That’s why we cannot scribble square. / And never, never try.
[UK]Marvel XIV:364 Oct. 11: If you act square, you shall have four more jewels.
[US]H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 350: Now he meant to jump out and hustle for a job, and live square.
[Aus]Sport (Adelaide) 15 Mar. 12/2: They Say [...] That Kruger H ought to run the little Sandwell tart square instead of playing billiards.
[US]D. Hammett Red Harvest (1965) 60: She gave him two hundred and a diamond ring that had cost a fellow named Boyle a thousand. I thought he’d be back for more later, but he didn’t. He shot square with her.
[US]J. Lait Put on the Spot 146: He’s always treated me square.
[US]T. Thursday ‘Dead Men Don’t Move’ in Smashing Detective Stories Jan. 🌐 Did he treat his employees square?
[US]A. Vachss Hard Candy (1990) 27: A stand-up guy [...] he plays the game square.

3. (US) precisely, exactly.

[US]E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden Explains 97: I smacks her wid a kiss square on de mout.
[UK]P. Marks Plastic Age 159: It hit me square in the eye.
[US](con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 403: The song hit the nail square.

4. properly, correctly.

[US]J. Flynt Tramping with Tramps 84: They’ll treat you square.
[UK]C. Holme Lonely Plough (1931) 252: I played myself out trying to make you see square.
[UK]G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 252: Be blunt and treat ’em square.

In compounds

square dinkum

see under fair dinkum.

In phrases

live square (v.)

(Aus.) to lead a respectable life.

[Aus]Bulletin 26 Apr. 44: Whatever their caper they obstinately refused to live square.
play square (with) (v.) (also play it square)

to behave in a decent manner, to treat someone honestly.

[US]Alpena Wkly Argus (MI) 14 Dec. 4/5: Oh! I’ll play square, don’t you fear.
[UK]E. Wallace Four Just Men 166: I’m playin’ it square with you.
[US]O. Johnson Max Fargus 105: Play square and you will find me a good fellow.
[US]‘Max Brand’ ‘Above the Law’ in Coll. Stories (1994) 48: The only law I know, is to play square with each other.
[US]D. Hammett Nightmare Town (2001) 34: At first we played square with the syndicate.
[US]M.C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) 28: She bawled me out for not ‘playing square by the gentleman’.
[UK]J. Curtis Gilt Kid 96: I can trust you to have got the details straight and I’m going to trust you to play square with me at the end. No carving up or else.
[US]D. Maurer Big Con 173: They always play square with these friends.
[US](con. 1910s) J. Thompson Heed the Thunder (1994) 131: He liked Bill. Bill had certainly played square with him from the beginning.
[US]M. Spillane One Lonely Night 105: You have to follow the rules and play it square.
[US]J. Thompson Alcoholics (1993) 68: More than anything else he wanted to play square with Doc.
square an’ all (adv.)

(Aus.) absolutely, honestly, truly.

[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 9 Nov. 39/1: ‘Favor!’ exclaimed Bill; ‘y’ know I’d do most anything for y’ – marry y’, square an’ all.’.
[Aus]C.J. Dennis Songs of a Sentimental Bloke gloss. 🌐 Square an’ all – Of a truth; verily.
[Aus]C.J. Dennis ‘A Spring Song’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 24: I ’aven’t got the ’eart / To word a tom; an’, square an’ all, I’m sick / Of that cheap tart.
[Aus]Aussie (France) 7 Sept. 7/1: Now, look ’ere, Dad, square an’ all, I’m dead shook on Marcelle ’ere; an’ if you’re willin’, I’ll do the trick any ol’ time when we ain’t in the line. [Ibid.] 7/2: But square n’all, don’t youse blokes reckon a cove’s dilly to splice one of them mademoiselles when there’s whips of Aussie tarts like these?