gentlemen's agreement
Unwritten mutual promise
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal understanding between parties, honored through trust rather than legal enforcement.
The term implies that honorable people keep their word without needing contracts: They had a gentlemen's agreement to stay out of each other's territory.
Such agreements often exist where formal arrangements would be awkward, illegal, or simply unnecessary among people who trust each other.
- honor systemTrust-based compliance without supervision
- handshake dealUnwritten mutual commitment
- shake on itFormalize agreement physically
- unwritten ruleImplicit behavioral expectation
- under the tableWithout official documentation
back room deal · goodwill · good faith · nod · tacit consent · off the record · ethical conduct · decorum · mutual respect · shared values · civility · mutual understanding · trust exercise · personal integrity · courtesy · glance · unspoken rules · social contract
gentlemen's agreementbinding contract
Enforceable legal agreement
written contract · deed · covenant · indenture · formal contract
gentleman, gentlemen, agreement, agree, gentle, gently, gentleness, gentler, gentlest