Variant

• "Gentleman's agreement" is also seen as "gentlemen's agreement."
  
  

History

• The phrase harkens back to the time when, in Western civilization, men were the only people who could legally own property or conduct business. That is where the "gentleman's" in "gentleman's agreement" originates. Men would enter into said honor-bound agreements and prefer to keep them despite personal loss, all to retain their integrity.
  
  

Significance

• Imagine buying a house or some land with nothing more than a handshake to seal the deal. As unlikely as that would be in our current culture of distrust and ironclad contracts, it use to be common practice.
  
  

Modern Usage

• The practice can still be seen today, but it is in no way as prevalent as it once was.
  
  

Fun Fact

• The 1947 film titled "Gentleman's Agreement" starring Gregory Peck and directed by Elia Kazan was a groundbreaking treatment of anti-Semitism that became the top-grossing film for Fox Studios in 1948.