"go their separate ways"

Posted by R. Berg on September 03, 2001

In Reply to: "Go their separate ways" posted by ESC on September 03, 2001

: : Does that imply/mean the end of a relationship even if they still live under one roof? Lead totally separate lives or what?

: My opinion: "Go their separate ways" sounds like a couple doesn't live under the same roof. One has moved out, they divorce, etc. If a couple still cohabits but stops sharing and caring, I would say they "live separate lives." "Emotional divorce" is another phrase describing a couple is together in fact but not in spirit. Or something like that.

A second opinion: "Go their separate ways" means the two will never see each other again. The image is of two travelers who meet at a crossroads and then take divergent paths.