what does all's fair in love and war mean?

[pinksmartie]

my mom said it the other day but said it's too complicated to explain. Any one want to have a go?

Oh, and also the tongue in cheek thing.

thanks :)

[dancealot13]

Im sure someone with a better vocabulary will answer is but Ill try- "All's fair in love and war...." Well, nothing is fair in love and nothing is fair in war...so I think it just means that "life" is not always accomodating to our specif needs. LIFE is not fair, but we gotta keep going anyway. xxcheers

[dancealot13]

I wish I could say this came from me..but it didn't. I just found it.

People in love and soldiers in wartime are not bound by the rules of fair play. 1
� This proverb is frequently used when two people are contending for the love of a third.

[pinksmartie]

thanks xx

[dancealot13]

No problem :)

[Quizmonster]

As for 'tongue in cheek'...
It usually means jokingly or insincerely nowadays. When it was first used in written English - by Tobias Smollett in his novel, Roderick Random, published in 1748 - it suggested some stronger emotion. He wrote: "I signified my contempt of him by thrusting my tongue in my cheek."
It can also suggest that one is making an effort not to laugh. The actual form �tongue in cheek' - ie these exact words in that order - did not appear until the 1930s and the hyphenated version �tongue-in-cheek' - not until the 1950s.

[Lonnie]

To different people, it will have a different meaning, but I take it to mean, 'The end justifies the means'.

[pinksmartie]

er... i'm sorry... (or should that be je suis d�sol�e?) i don't speak French that well.

[peachy3]

all's fair in love & war is a way that males describe relationships coz they fink relationships need to be conquered & not lived were as females want to live life & love not conquer them!

[gedtagius]

The male chauvenist version of all's fair etc is 'A standing 'ovation' has no conscience'! Win any way you can. For 'ovation' look up the 'Cerescape' code book!

[alyssalovely]

the tongue in cheek thing to most teenagers stands for one thing. and one thing only. HEAD. if you dont know what head means.... urban dictionary.