arguing like a married couple
Petty spousal sparring
Arguing like a married couple describes two people bickering in a familiar, repetitive way that suggests long acquaintance—petty grievances, interrupting each other, rehashing old complaints.
The phrase usually applies to people who aren't actually married, implying their quarreling has the comfortable, worn-in quality of a long-term relationship: Those two roommates are always arguing like a married couple.
- bickeringPetty verbal sparring
- spouseMarried partner
- banterPlayful, teasing exchange
- quarrelingArguing angrily with another
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
playfulness · affection · sarcasm · nagging · intimacy · teasing · mutual understanding · passive-aggression · debating · eye-rolling · exasperation · love · shared history · finish each other's sentences · negotiating · warmth · venting · annoyance
arguing like a married coupleat each other's throats
coming to blows · going for the jugular · playful banter · having it out · cold war
arguing like a married couplethick as thieves
Intimately allied and loyal
on the same page · lovey-dovey · in sync · two peas in a pod · of one mind
arguing like a married couplewalking on eggshells
Acting with extreme caution
argues, argued, argument, argumentative, argumentation, arguing, married, marries, marriage