To be fair is a phrase mostly used by people who make a living stealing oxygen from others. It serves no purpose other than to try to make their forthcoming statement sound more profound whereas it actually devalues everything that follows. Should be filed along with "Proactive", "At the end of the day" and "To be honest"
"I've never been to Uganda to be fair"
slang for Renfaire or Renaissance Faire. It is a word usually used by cast, vendors, or regular visitors of a Renaissance Faire.
I can't wait to go to the Faire. I've been working all month on this new costume.
Similar to "true" or "good point" or "an astute observation"
Chatter 1: Homeland is often implausible.
Chatter 2: Fair.
A phrase which should mean something but rarely does when it's used by sports players - especially British soccer players - and radio/TV commentators. You think the speaker is about to offer a balanced point of view - e.g. "I know I'm critical of X, but, to be fair, he is recovering from a bad injury", but most times, they're just trotting out the same dumb platitudes to fill airtime. Interchangeable with "at the end of the day" and "as I say".
To be fair, it is a Wednesday.
To be fair, as I say, I'm talking into a microphone at the end of the day, Gary
A phrase that precedes a series of statements that, taken as a whole, are completely incorrect. This phase is commonly bandied about on a certain prestigious law school forum, populated by only a handful of people who happen each to have more than a dozen aliases, giving them the false impression that they're actually socializing.
Law School Poster: OMG top 1% at HYS. chances at WLRK?
To Be Fair: To be fair,
You shouldn't have gone to law school in the first place.
Not to be confused with equal.
Annoying Kid: That's not fair! Why don't I get candy?
Realist Kid: You know it's cuz that person knows you're annoying. That's very fair.
I often laugh when someone declares a thing to be fair. Fairness is a funny illusion. It’s one of our most useful illusions, but it’s an illusion nonetheless.
My mother gave me a fucking scooter while she gave my little sister a new Cobalt. No fairness in that.