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

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

If something is good, acceptable, or beneficial for one person, it is or should be equally so for another person or persons as well. Well I guess if you are entitled to stay out until all hours, then I'll do the same. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, right?
See also: gander, goose, sauce
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Prov. What is good for one person is good for another.; What is good for the man in a couple is good for the woman. Jane: You're overweight; you should get more exercise. Alan: But I don't really have time to exercise. Jane: When I was overweight, you told me to exercise; what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
See also: gander, goose, sauce
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

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

What applies to one applies to both, especially to both male and female. For example, After her husband went off with his fishing buddies for a week, she decided to take a vacation without him-what's sauce for the goose, you know . This proverbial expression, often shortened as in the example, was cited and described as "a woman's proverb" in John Ray's English Proverbs (1678).
See also: goose, sauce
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

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

OLD-FASHIONED
People say what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander when they are arguing that a rule that applies to one person should apply to others, because people should be treated equally. If a man can marry someone twenty years younger than him, why can't a woman? What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
See also: gander, goose, sauce
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

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

what is appropriate in one case is also appropriate in the other case in question. proverb
This expression is often used as a statement that what is right or wrong for one sex is right or wrong for the other as well. John Ray , who was the first to record this saying (in his English Proverbs of 1670 ), remarked ‘This is a woman's Proverb’.
1998 New Scientist What is sauce for the US goose is sauce for the Iraqi gander!
See also: gander, goose, sauce
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

what’s ˌsauce for the ˌgoose is ˌsauce for the ˈgander

(old-fashioned, saying) if one partner in a marriage or relationship can behave in a particular way, then the other partner should also be allowed to behave in this way: If she can go out with her friends, why can’t I? What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
A gander is a male goose.
See also: gander, goose, sauce
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

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

What’s good for one is good for the other; it applies to both (especially, male and female, or husband and wife). John Ray included this expression in his 1678 proverb collection and termed it “a woman’s Proverb.” An early assertion of sexual equity, it has since been applied both in instances of male and female and in more general terms. The former is meant in Lawrence Block’s novel A Stab in the Dark (1981): “I knew she had accused her husband of infidelity, so I thought she might be getting a bit of sauce for the goose.”
See also: goose, sauce
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a big fish in a small pond
  • a big frog in a small pond
  • big fish in a small pond
  • big frog in a small pond
  • frog in a small pond
  • pond
  • hanger-on
  • one man's loss is another man's gain
  • one person's loss is another person's gain
  • change off
References in periodicals archive
The police and the local authority must be very careful because this is inviting anarchy, and any group with any cause from here on can do what they like any time they like, and if prevented can claim a denial of their human rights - what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Beware anarchy in the guise of human rights
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander a little corny, but that's the law, he said smiling.
Breyer: It's there for people whose speech you don't like'
Among the quotes: "These are the times that try women's souls," "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," "Equal pay for equal work," and "A woman is the weaker vessel." ([umlaut] Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR)
"All Men and Women are Created Equal": Elizabeth Cady Stanton's and Susan B. Anthony's Proverbial Rhetoric Promoting Women's Rights
After all, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Sauce for the goose ... David Craig, AOP director of marketing and business development, reflects on sight test intervals
Restaurateur Andy Florsheim had purchased local icon Martini House last year and reopened it this past April as Goose & Gander--a reference to the old English proverb: "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."
Upping the cocktail Ante in Napa Valley: Goose & Gander rolls out a robust drinks program in the heart of wine country
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander as far as Taz Jones, pictured, is concerned.
Taz keeps his hand in with a bout against Delehedy
Surely what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander?
Yes, the Metro is safe ( pass it on
What has changed, however, is that women have caught on to the fact that what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Saucy for the goose and saucy for the gander
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, and Clinton is nothing but nakedly hypocritical in using Chelsea as an image-enhancer while falsely bellyaching about the much more dignified (even toadying) article in People.
LETTERS
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander and if a majority of those voting is enough for a powerful figure such as a Premier, it should suffice for a trade union ballot.
Strike out hypocrisy; VOICE OF THE DAILY Mirror