what's good for the goose is good for the gander
Meanings
proverb
- Literally, what is good for a female goose is equally good for a male goose (gander); or, what is good for a woman should be equally good for a man.
- If something is good for one person, it should be equally good for another person; someone who treats another in a certain way should not complain if the same is done to them.
Word forms
Etymology
From earlier what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander (1670s). Other early forms include “as deep drinketh the goose as the gander” (1562).
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