Idioms & Usage – Choose the option that best explains the highlighted expression. Sentence: I cannot get along with a man who “plays fast and loose.”

Introduction / Context:
The idiom “play fast and loose” criticizes someone for behaving deceitfully, irresponsibly, or unreliably—often changing positions as convenient. The speaker refuses to get along with such a person, signaling moral disapproval of inconsistency and insincerity.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Idiom: “plays fast and loose.”
• Context: interpersonal trust and reliability.
• Desired meaning: lack of integrity and consistency.

Concept / Approach:
Historically, the phrase referred to a cheating trick. In modern usage, it means to treat rules, promises, or people carelessly and dishonestly. The correct paraphrase should therefore encode unreliability and insincerity, not mere bad manners, talkativeness, or luxury.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Substitute: “a man who behaves in an unreliable and insincere way.” This fits the sentiment and modern dictionary definitions of the idiom.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• has a loose tongue: About speech, not duplicity.
• lives a life of ease and luxury: Irrelevant to honesty or reliability.
• does not know how to behave himself: Too broad and non-specific.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming “fast” refers to speed and “loose” to morality separately. The idiom is a set phrase critiquing unreliable conduct.

Final Answer:
behaves in an unreliable and insincere way