to patch up a quarrel
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To arrange the matter in a not very satisfactory way; a coat that has been torn and then "patched up" is pretty sure to break out again; so is a quarrel.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to patch up a quarrel” mean?
To arrange the matter in a not very satisfactory way; a coat that has been torn and then "patched up" is pretty sure to break out again; so is a quarrel.
Is “to patch up a quarrel” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.