This expression means something that is done honestly and openly, something that is carried out in a legal and proper manner. 'Board' here is an old word for 'table'. The saying was originally a gambling term: card players were expected to keep their hands 'above the board' to avoid suspicions of cheating and not to engage in trickery, such as changing cards, below the table. The saying is in use since the seventeenth century.

Übersetzung:

einwandfrei, fair

Gegenteil(e)

The opposite of "to be above board" is "to be underhanded".

Synonym(e):

You could also say: to be straightforward.