On the Level

The Definition

Honest, sincere, and trustworthy. To be "on the level" means there is no deception, no hidden agenda, and no unfair advantage. It describes a person or a deal that is balanced and upright.

The Deep Dive

This is a literal piece of "junk knowledge" from the ancient world of Stonemasonry. Before it was a common phrase used by 1920's gangsters and modern businessmen, the "level" was a physical tool essential to the construction of cathedrals, castles, and monuments.

  • The Physical Tool: An operative mason (someone who actually cut and laid stone) used a level—typically a heavy A-shaped wooden frame with a plumb line hanging from the apex—to ensure that a surface was perfectly horizontal. If a foundation wasn't "on the level," the entire structure would eventually lean, crack, or collapse.

  • The Symbolic Shift: As "Operative" masonry evolved into "Speculative" Freemasonry in the 17th and 18th centuries, the tools of the trade became metaphors for moral conduct. In Masonic ritual, the level is the symbol of equality.

  • The Meeting Ground: Regardless of a man's rank in the outside world—whether he was a king or a cobbler—all members were said to "meet on the level" within the lodge. It meant that within that space, every man was an equal, and their dealings with one another must be characterized by absolute honesty and lack of pretension.

The phrase "on the level" moved into the general English lexicon by the early 1800's. It became particularly popular in the United States during the late 19th-century boom of fraternal organizations. By the time the "Hardboiled" era of detective fiction arrived in the 1930's, "Are you on the level?" had become the standard street-slang interrogation for checking someone’s integrity.

Fast Facts

  • The "Square" Connection: This is the direct partner to the phrase "Fair and Square." In Masonry, while the level represents equality, the square represents morality and virtue. To be both "on the level" and "square" is to be the ultimate man of character.

  • The "Plumb" Link: To be "plumb" means to be perfectly vertical. If someone is "straight and plumb," they are as honest as the "level" person is fair.

  • The First Print: While the Masonic use is centuries older, the first recorded use of the phrase in a non-Masonic, general context appeared in 1872 in an American newspaper, describing a "straight-up" political candidate.

References

  • Mackey, A. G. (1873). An Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and Its Kindred Sciences.

  • Ammer, C. (2013). The Dictionary of Clichés. Skyhorse Publishing.

  • Flexner, S. B. (1982). Listening to America. Simon & Schuster.

  • The Oxford English Dictionary. (2026). Level (n.1). Oxford University Press.