fence mending
Restoring damaged ties
Fence mending is the work of repairing damaged relationships, especially in politics.
A politician returns to their district for fence mending with constituents.
The metaphor comes from the literal task of maintaining boundary fences between neighbors—neglected fences cause disputes, repaired ones restore goodwill.
After the contentious vote, she spent the recess fence mending back home.
- reconciliationRestoration of friendly relations
- burying the hatchetEnding hostilities permanently
- making peaceEnding hostilities between parties
- diplomacyNegotiation between nations
- repairRestore to working order
patching · neighbors · boundary · apology · hurt feelings · handshake · truce · goodwill · bridge-building · peacemaking · building bridges · smoothing · healing · outreach · countryside · posts · wire · hammer
- group workbarn raising, work party, team building, workday, collective farming
- reconciliationreconciliation, reconcile, reconciled, reconciling, making up
- agritourismfarm stay, farm stays, working farm, farm tour, farmhouse
- Cowboycowboy, cowboys, cowgirls, ranch, rancher
- farm lifefarm, farmer, farmers, farming, barn
- ranchingcattle, ranch, rancher, ranchers, ranching
fence mendingburning bridges
Ruining relationships irreparably
severing ties · alienation · cutting ties · estrangement · falling out
fence mendingaggravation
State of being vexed
provocation · fanning the flames · escalation · rabble-rousing · incitement
fence mendingsaber-rattling
Threatening show of military might
hostility · belligerence · aggression · confrontation · inflammatory rhetoric
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