IDIOMS ABOUT GOOD OR BAD RELATIONSHIPS

TO GET ON LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE – to become close friends in a short time especially on the base of common interests

Friendship is a tricky thing indeed. It’s very fragile and very solid at the same time. And Carry experienced both sides of friendship. Jim was a person Carry met at literature disputes. It became clear immediately: they’re soul mates. They got on like a house on fire.

TO HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR SOMEONE – to have a very deep affection for someone or something (1)

TO SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE – to understand someone’s ideas because you have common opinions, values or beliefs (2)

They both had a soft spot for (1) Charlotte Brontë and Charles Dickens, they liked the same movies and, generally, spoke the same language (2).

TO BE AS THICK AS THIEVES – to have a very intimate, close friendship with someone (1)

TO SEE EYE TO EYE WITH SOMEONE – to share someone’s views, completely agree with someone (2)

With time, Carry and Jim became as thick as thieves (1). They were like Bonnie and Clyde, Batman and Robin, they really saw eye to eye with each other (2).

TO GET OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT – to establish a bad relationship with someone you’ve just met

A completely different situation was with David, Carrie's neighbor, who lived on the floor above. They got off the wrong foot from the moment they met.

TO RUB SOMEONE UP THE WRONG WAY – to irritate someone unintentionally by doing or saying something

Jim was known for rubbing people up the wrong way and getting into fights.

TO GIVE THE COLD SHOULDER – to be unfriendly to someone or intentionally show no interest towards them

When he first saw Carrie, he made an unpleasant remark about the book in her hands. This weirdo's words touched her tenderest nerve and she gave him the cold shoulder ever since.

TO KEEP SOMEONE AT ARM’S LENGTH – to keep one's distance (physical or figurative), avoid establishing an undesired level of intimacy

After that incident, she tried to keep Jim at arm’s length and avoid any contact. But that was quite difficult to do since they met everytime they left for work.

TO BE LIKE CAT AND DOG – to quarrel with someone savagely

Their further relationship can be described by the phrase “like cat and dog”: I bet you’ve never seen people who quarreled as often as they did.

TO HIT IT OFF – to become close with someone or like them from the very beginning (1)

TO GO BACK A LONG WAY – to know each other or be good friends for a long period of time (2)

But one day Carry faced a serious problem, and it turned her life upside down. Usually when people have problems, they expect their closest people to help them. But Jim, with whom she hit it off (1) right away and with whom they went a long way (2), wasn’t able to understand her feelings.

TO BE ON THE ROCKS – to have quite serious difficulties in the relationship that may ruin it very soon

On the other hand, David, with whom she used to be on the rocks, without any hesitation offered her a helping hand. Friendship is a tricky thing indeed. It’s very fragile and very solid at the same time.

Test your knowledge of idioms about good or bad relationships here:

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