Gentlemen's agreement
historys shaking hands during a gentlemen's agreement.]] A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette.
The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties for its fulfillment, rather than being in any way enforceable (by the government). It is, therefore, distinct from a legal agreement or contract, which can be enforced if necessary.
The phrase's first recorded use was in 1888 in the Report of the Railway Accounting Officers published by the Association of American Railroads Accounting Division (page 337).
Gentlemen's bet
A variation on the gentlemen's agreement is the gentlemen's bet, wherein there is nothing to win or lose through the bet, other than the honor of winning and shame of losing. Two or more men sit at a table or conference room and work out problems.
- Contract
- Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907
- Memorandum of understanding
- Gentleman's Agreement, a 1947 movie.