1594 T. Nashe Terrors of Night sig. Eiij^v Now that he [sc. Satan] is thoroughly steeled in his scutcherie, hee playes aboue-boord boldly, & sweeps more stakes than euer he did before.

a1640 J. Fletcher & P. Massinger Custome of Countrey i. i, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Aa^v/2 Yet if you play not faire play, and above boord too, I have a foolish gin here.

a1678 A. Marvell Hist. Poem in Poems Affairs State (1697) 99 Baal's wretched Curates Legerdemain'd it so, And never durst their Tricks above-board shew.

1726 T. Southerne Money the Mistress v. 62 I lose my Money above Board at Play, that I got by underhand Knavery and Falshood.

1564 T. Becon Displaying Popish Masse in Wks. (1844) 260 Therefore can ye not play cole under candlestick cleanly, nor whip master Wynchard above the board.]

1599 T. Nashe Lenten Stuffe 42 Which droue Leander, when he durst not deale aboue boord..to swim to her, nor that in the day, but by owle light.

1624 H. Mason New Art of Lying iii. 44 There is a mysterie in those words, which Navarre, (who vseth to deale aboue-boord, and to speake more plainely,) hath unfolded.

1648 E. Symmons Vindic. King Charles (new ed.) iii. 30 Such a disloyal, hypocritical, unchristian, and bloody faction as this now above-board.

1664 H. More Modest Enq. Myst. Iniquity ix. 27 They would have dealt above-board, and like honest men.

1680 W. de Britaine Humane Prudence xx. 65 Keep Formality above Board, but Prudence and Wisdom under Deck.

a1734 R. North Life F. North (1742) 24 His Lordship,..during his Incapacity to practise aboveboard, was contented to under~pull, as they call it, and managed diverse Suits for his Country Friends and Relations.

1774 H. Kelly Romance of Hour i. 4 Mercy upon us! and is he then to let it appear above board—Fine doctrine, truly, that our vices are to be excus'd, in proportion as we acquire a consciousness of their enormity.

1836 T. J. Serle Ghost Story i. i. 7 Now, my friends, deal straight and above-board.

1878 T. A. Palmer Insured at Lloyd's i. i. 12 If I can't make my money fair, square, and above board, I'll live and die a poor man.

1916 J. W. Riley Compl. Wks. III. 801 The clover in the pastur is a big day fer the bees, And they been a-swiggin' honey, above board and on the sly.

1957 Classical Jrnl. 53 122/1 Congress..was run fairly and above board.

1994 City Paper (Baltimore) 29 June 7/3 Too bad our legislators have since brought corruption aboveboard, where it is regulated and obscured by campaign-finance laws and scrutinized by the public.

a1695 J. Scott Pract. Disc. (1697) I. xi. 464 For a Man to..mask his real Intentions with contrary Appearances, is a very uneasie Way of living; for there is twice the Difficulty in every Thing that he aims and drives at, as there is in an honest and above-board, Procedure.

1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison II. xxxiii. 324 To be open and above-board, I have reason to believe, that your brother would be concerned.

1788 E. Burke Speech against W. Hastings in Wks. (1822) XIII. 293 All that is in this transaction is fair and above-board.

1841 L. Hunt Seer (1864) ii. 61 All..was open and above-board.

a1891 H. Melville Billy Budd xviii, in Wks. (1924) XIII. 81 In the impulsive above-board manner of the frank one the court saw confirmed all that was implied in words that just previously had perplexed them.

1925 Amer. Mercury Dec. 490/1 The completely honest, sincere and first-rate man,..stands no more chance of attracting attention in the United States..than a completely above-board politician.

1959 E. Gellner Words & Things (1960) 261 The important thing is that the whole matter was entirely above board.

1998 I. Rankin Hanging Garden (1999) xix. 228 Hugh Malahide's story had been that a corporation wanted to buy the club, but Matsumoto didn't look like he worked in any above-board business.