on speaking terms
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms:
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on speaking terms
1.
Friendly enough to exchange superficial remarks, as in We're on speaking terms with the new neighbors.
2.
Ready and willing to communicate, not alienated or estranged. For example, We are on speaking terms again after the quarrel. Both senses of this idiom commonly occur in the negative, as in Brett and his brother haven't been on speaking terms for years. The idiom was first recorded in 1786.
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Copyrights:
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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