In both oral and written communication, many people including some professionals make the wrong choice of using ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander.’
The phrase of choice is ‘what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.’
Why use ‘sauce’ instead of ‘good?’
If something is good or suitable for one person (or situation), it should also be good or suitable for another person (or similar situation).
The phrase likely came from a 1546 proverb by John Heywood, ‘That that is sauce for the goose, is sauce also for the gander.’
‘Sauce’ implies a specific treatment, circumstance or condition. Using ‘good,’ alters the phrase’s originality.
‘Good’ implies moral or general well-being. ‘Sauce’ specifically implies a matching treatment or circumstance.
‘Sauce’ maintains the original analogy. Just as the same sauce is suitable for both goose and gander, the same treatment should apply to similar situations; consistency in treatment, equality in application.
‘Good’ would imply a more general evaluation; an evaluation of what is beneficial.
Using sauce maintains the phrase’s idiomatic force and historical accuracy
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