No harm no foul In english explanation

The meaning, explanation, definition and origin of the idiom/phrase "no harm no foul", English Idiom Dictionary ( also found in Vietnamese )

author Ann Thu calendar 2021-09-24 11:09

Meaning of No harm no foul

No harm no foul informal

 

 

If no damage has been done by someone's mistake, there's no need to punish or be angry with them.

No one really bothered me so I considered it no harm no foul.

A: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. B: No harm, no foul, buddy.

I found out that my roommate used my bike without asking for it, but he apologized. No harm, no foul.

Other phrases about:

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absolutely incorrect
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Used to describe a situation in which people criticize and blame someone else for a fault, mistake or weakness that they also have themselves

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If one commits three mistakes, transgressions, or infractions, he or she will be dismissed or punished very severely.

take (some) heat

To put up with an amount of criticism or comtempt, mostly happen to an individual's perceived fault or something was done poorly.

party foul

A humorous way of saying an inappropriate or unacceptable action that disrupts a party or other social gathering

Origin of No harm no foul

This phrase comes from the basketball game. In basketball, if a player commits a transgression that doesn’t affect the outcome of the game, the referee should not call a foul against that player.  The term was first described in 1956 in the Hartford Courant newspaper. After years this phrase was applied to situations outside basketball. By the early 1970s, "no harm no foul" was being applied to legal situations. It is also said that this phrase is derived from the term "no blood no foul", which is a common phrase in the American streetball of the 1950s.

The Origin Cited: grammarist.com .
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