agreement

See Also: COMPATIBILITY, FIGHTING

1. About as far apart as an atheist and a born-again Christian —Anon
2. Acquiesced like an old man acquiescing in death —Wilfrid Sheed
3. (Nobody can be as) agreeable as an uninvited guest —Frank McKinney

   Humorists like McKinney are notable phrase converters. This simile may be a case in point, evolving from William Wordsworth’s sonnet To a Snowdrop which describes a flower bending its forehead “As if fearful to offend, like an unbidden guest.”

   See Also: BEHAVIOR

4. Agree like a finger and a thumb —Anon
5. Agree like two cats in a gutter —John Heywood’s Proverbs
6. Agree like cats and dogs —John Ray’s Proverbs

   This sarcastic twist to the more commonly used “Fight like cats and dogs” dates back to the nineteenth century.

7. Agree like pickpockets in a fair —John Ray’s Proverbs
8. Agree like the clocks of London —Richard Brinsley Sheridan
9. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife —The Holy Bible/Proverbs
10. As far apart as the atheists who claim there is no soul, and the Christian Scientists who declare there is no body —Anon
11. Co-operate about as much as two tomcats on a fence —Raymond Chandler
12. Far apart as the poles —Anon
13. Flock together in consent, like so many wild geese —William Shakespeare
14. Like the course of the heavenly bodies, harmony in national life is a resultant of the struggle between contending forces —Judge Louis D. Brandeis
15. Sentiments as equal as if weighed on a golden scale —Janet Flanner
16. We are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the row of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another is contrary to nature —Marcus Aurelius

Lamourette’s kiss A short-lived reconciliation, particularly one that is made insincerely; an ephemeral rapprochement; subterfuge; shrewd or cunning deceit. The Lamourette in this expression was Abbé Lamourette, a French politician who, on July 7, 1792, convinced the many discordant factions of the Legislative Assembly of France to lay aside their differences and work together for the common good. After much demonstration and protestation of peace-making, the legislators soon lapsed into their former hostilities, but with even more animosity and rancor than before. Since that time, the expression has been used figuratively, usually in reference to transitory or disingenuous political agreements.

make no bones about See CANDIDNESS.

package deal An agreement or settlement in which all of the conditions must be either accepted or rejected; an all-or-nothing arrangement or plan which involves the acceptance of one or more negative elements as a requisite to achieving a generally favorable goal. Originally, a package deal was a group of goods which were wrapped in one package and sold at a bargain tprice, one lower than the combined cost of purchasing each item separately. Although this connotation is still retained, package deal usually refers to a political or industrial pact which contains several related or unrelated provisions, all of which must be accepted or rejected as a unit. Package deal has also enjoyed some jocular use, often in reference to a person ’s spouse or family.

strike a bargain To conclude a bargain or other deal; to settle or arrange the terms of a transaction; to agree on a compromise or other settlement. This expression alludes to the ancient Greek and Roman custom of sealing a business contract by striking (i.e., killing) an animal and offering it as a sacrifice to their deities. Although this tradition is long since gone, the expression persists.

With the demise of sacrificial offerings, it became customary in many societies to seal an agreement by shaking or striking hands, thus the related and synonymous strike hands.