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on the outs

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on the outs (with someone)

Inf. in a mild dispute with someone; sharing ill will with someone. Tom and Bill are on the outs again. Tom has been on the outs with Bill before. They'll work it out.

See also: on, out

on the outs

not friendly Peter is on the outs with his father.

Usage notes: usually said about people who are not friendly because of having had an argument or disagreement

See also: on, out

on the outs

No longer on friendly terms, as in They've been on the outs with their in-laws for years. This idiom appeared in the early 1900s and derives from the synonymous at outs, first recorded in 1824.

See also: on, out

on the outs

verb

See on the outs with someone

See also: on, out

on the outs

Informal

Not on friendly terms; disagreeing.

See also: on, out