🗓️ Idiom: Shake Hands and Make Up (verb phrase)
💬 Meaning
- To end an argument and become friendly again.
- To agree to forgive each other after a conflict.
🧠 Example Sentences
- After the tense meeting, the two managers decided to shake hands and make up.
- The teammates shook hands and made up so they could focus on the deadline.
- HR helped both sides talk through the issue so they could shake hands and make up.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase comes from the long-standing tradition of shaking hands as a sign of peace, agreement, or trust. When people “make up,” they end a disagreement. The two ideas were combined to describe formally settling a conflict and restoring good relations.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
After arguing all morning, they finally agreed to __________ and continue the project.
Answer
shake hands and make up
2. Choose the correct answer:
If two colleagues “shake hands and make up,” they:
a) Start a new argument
b) Decide to end the conflict
c) Ignore each other completely
Answer
b) Decide to end the conflict
3. Change the sentence using “shake hands and make up”:
“Both sides agreed to stop fighting and work together again.”
Answer
Both sides agreed to shake hands and make up.
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