Idioms on conflicts

to be in a state of turmoil

/ˈtɝː.mɔɪl/

- His mind was in a state of turmoil as he tried to choose between his career and his family.
- After the CEO resigned without warning, the entire department was thrown into a state of turmoil.

To be in a state of confusion, excitement, or anxiety

to bury the hatchet

/ˈber.i ðə ˈhætʃ.ɪt/

- After years of fighting over who should have gotten Dad's money, my brothers finally buried the hatchet.
🎧I hit you like bang, we tried to forget it, but we just couldn't / And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em

To agree to stop arguing about something and become friends

to keep a stiff upper lip

/ˌstɪf ˌʌp.ɚ ˈlɪp/

- She kept a stiff upper lip and refused to cry in public.
- Men are usually taught to keep a stiff upper lip during emotional situations.

The ability to stay calm and not show your feelings in a difficult or upsetting situation

to vent one’s spleen (at sb)

/vent wʌnz spliːn/

- Mom's been venting her spleen to me for an hour already. Apparently, Aunt Marie has wronged her yet again.

To voice one's anger (caused by the same person or somebody else)

to patch up your differences

/pætʃ ʌp/

- The two business partners patched up their differences to save the company from bankruptcy.
- I hope you and your brother can patch up your differences before the holiday dinner.
- It took years, but the estranged friends finally met for coffee to patch things up.

to resolve a conflict, settle an argument, or repair a strained relationship

to breathe down sb’s neck

- It's awful having a boss who breathes down your neck all the time.

To pay very close attention to what someone is doing, in a way that makes them feel nervous or annoyed

to bear a grudge against sb /

to have a grudge against sb /

to hold a grudge against sb

/ber ɡrʌdʒ/

- Although our disagreement happened months ago, Lily still won't talk to me—clearly, she's bearing a grudge.
🎧But I hold onto every detail like my life depends on it / My undying love, now I hold it like a grudge
- Even though he apologized years ago, she still holds a grudge against him for forgetting her birthday.

To remain angry with someone about past slights or misdeeds; to continue feeling an old grudge (=resentment) for someone

to drive a wedge (between sb)

/wedʒ/

- It doesn't make sense to let things that happened in the past drive a wedge between us now.
- I used to be close friends with Tiffany, but once she started dating my ex-boyfriend, it really drove a wedge between us.

to damage the good relationship that two people or groups of people have
(=crear una grieta/brecha)

to itch / look for a fight

/ˈɪtʃ/

- After being stuck in traffic for two hours, Mark was itching for a fight the moment he walked into the office.
- Avoid the boss today; she looks like she is itching for a fight.

to be eager or impatient to start a fight

to come to blows

/bloʊz/

- Demonstrators nearly came to blows with the police during the march.
- Do you think the two parties will come to blows over this?

to have a physical fight or a serious argument with someone because of a disagreement about something

to be at each other’s throats

- Those two are always at each other's throats.
- Congress and the President have been at each other's throats for so long that it's a wonder they can agree on anything.

to argue or fight very aggressively, with strong hostility.

to cross swords with sb

/sɔːrds/

- I’ve crossed swords with him on a number of issues.
- I only crossed swords with Danielle because we have different approaches to the experiment.
- Do not mention politics at a family dinner unless you want everyone to cross swords with each other.
- Oh, I've crossed swords with the principal about my curriculum many times before—I'm not worried.

To have a disagreement or engage in a verbal dispute (often formal or intellectual).

* (not) to see eye to eye

- My sisters don't see eye to eye with me about the arrangements.
- We’ve never seen eye to eye about this matter.

to agree with someone

* to stave sth/sb off

/steɪv/

- We were hoping to stave off these difficult decisions until September.
- The company was able to stave off bankruptcy for another few months.

to stop something bad from happening, or to keep an unwanted situation or person away, usually temporarily (=delay)

* to yield one’s needs to those of (others)

/jiːld/

- Elena decided to yield her needs to those of her family, choosing a local college instead of moving across the country.
- In a healthy marriage, you cannot always yield your needs to those of your partner; both people must be heard.

means to prioritize the desires, comfort, or requirements of other people over your own. It involves setting aside your personal agenda, often sacrificing your own well-being or preferences to accommodate someone else.

* to hold / have / express authentic grievances

/ˈɡriː.vəns/

- The factory workers chose to strike because they hold authentic grievances regarding the unsafe factory conditions and unpaid overtime.

to keep a persistent feeling of resentment, anger, or unfairness because you believe you have been wronged.

* to stir things up

/stɝː/

- Don't bring up politics at the office; it will only stir things up.
- She asked about his ex-girlfriend just to stir things up.
- The journalist's controversial article stirred things up across the country.

to deliberately cause trouble, create controversy, or disrupt the status quo

* to have a scrap

/skræp/

- The bar was noisy because two guys were having a scrap in the back.
- I used to have a scrap with my brother almost every day when we were kids.

[informal]
to have a fight or argument, especially a quick, noisy one about something that is not important

* to clear the air

- I had a massive argument with Sue, but at least it has cleared the air.
- We had a big argument, but I guess it helped clear the air between us.

to get rid of bad feelings between two people or groups