Talk:above board

Above board, aboveboard

I think that the correct form should always be aboveboard, just like everyday, above board has the literal meaning, just like every day has a literal meaning. Thanks --Rosswood40 14:18, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

The usage note addresses this: it depends on whether it's in adjectival position or not. Equinox ◑ 16:56, 11 December 2023 (UTC)

Used in Treasure Island to mean "still alive"

Is this a generally recognised sense, perhaps nautical slang?

• 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London, Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

  you’re the last above board of that same meddling crew

Equinox ◑ 16:57, 11 December 2023 (UTC)