Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.81 in modern English

Syllables: what's sauce -for the -goose is sauce -for the -gan-der
IPA

65

Scrabble Score

40

Letters

6

Syllables

15

Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

If something is acceptable for one person, it is acceptable for another (often of the opposite gender).

proverb

One who treats others in a certain way should not complain about receiving the same treatment.

Example Sentences

"[…] sawce which is good for the Goose, I hope will be good for the Gander […]"
"That that's good sauce for a goose, is good for a gander."
"[I]t is, as I may ſo ſay, a ſavvcy Plot: and vve all knovv, moſt Reverend Fathers, that vvhat is ſavvce for a Gooſe is ſavvce for a Gander: Therefore, I ſay, as thoſe bloud-thirſty Ganders of the conſpiracy vvould have deſtroyed us Geeſe of the Senate, let us make haſte to deſtroy them, ſo I humbly move for hanging— […]"
"What is sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose and the arguments that he produces against my suggestion apply with double force to his."

Etymology

1670s, figuratively using goose/gander for women and men, and literally meaning that the same sauce applies equally well to cooked goose, regardless of sex. Early forms include “as deep drinketh the goose as the gander” (1562) and similar “As well for the coowe calfe as for the bull” (1549). The expression appears in Dickens when a spy attempting to evade culpability insists, “For you cannot sarse the goose and not the gander.”

Phrases

what's good for the goose is good for the gander sauce for the goose

Synonyms

turnabout is fair play

Antonyms

quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi

Questions

What does what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander mean?: If something is acceptable for one person, it is acceptable for another (often of the opposite gender).
Where does what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander come from?: 1670s, figuratively using goose/gander for women and men, and literally meaning that the same sauce applies equally well to cooked goose, regardless of sex. Early forms include “as deep drinketh the goose as the gander” (1562) and similar “As well for the coowe calfe as for the bull” (1549). The expression appears in Dickens when a spy attempting to evade culpability insists, “For you cannot sarse the goose and not the gander.”

How to pronounce what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

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