special relationship

Noun

special relationship (plural special relationships)

1. (idiomatic, originally) The relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom since World War II.
   • Very satisfactory indeed. We got what we came for, and our special relationship is still very special.2003, Richard Curtis, Love Actually, spoken by US president (Billy Bob Thornton)
   • On the table of the games room in which they had been penned, there were plates of sandwiches and biscuits. Just not for them. They were only for the US press corps. The Brits had to bring a packed lunch. Clearly, the special relationship still has a way to go.2025 July 28, John Crace, “Sidekick Starmer can’t get a word in as The Donald dominates world’s most one-sided double act”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
2. (also, idiomatic, often) The relationship between the United States and Israel since the 1960s.
   • Mearsheimer and Walt argue that the special relationship is in neither nation’s best interest, as the lobby prevents America being an honest broker in resolving Middle East conflict [...].2018, Lee Marsden, “Religion”, in Michael Cox & Doug Stokes, editor, US Foreign Policy, 3rd edition, Oxford University Press, page 314
   • While Trump’s statement is obvious – the “special relationship” is between Israel and the US, not between Trump and Netanyahu, some people argued that the president was giving Netanyahu the cold shoulder.2019 September 19, Omri Nahmias, “US-Israel Ties: ‘The relations are between our countries’”, in Jerusalem Post
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see special, relationship.