1.
inseparable bond; relationship that persists despite one's wishes
A relationship or connection that continues even though the people involved may not always want it to. Often used with a tone of resignation or wry humor about a long-standing tie that simply cannot be severed.
あいつとは腐れ縁だ。
That guy and I go way back — we're stuck with each other.
小学校からの腐れ縁で、今でもよく会う。
We've been tied together since elementary school and still see each other often.
何度喧嘩しても結局元に戻る。これが腐れ縁というものだろう。
No matter how many times we fight, we always end up back together. I suppose that's what you call an unbreakable bond.
Literally 'rotten connection' — a bond so deep it cannot be cut even if it has gone bad. Despite the negative literal meaning, it is often used with affection or humor about long-standing friendships. 腐れ is the continuative form of 腐る (to rot), and 縁 means connection or fate. Not to be confused with purely negative relationships; it often describes friendships that have endured despite ups and downs. The expression implies a certain inevitability — this is a connection that fate (or habit) has made permanent.