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What does 'break the ice' mean?
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Where did the phrase “break the ice” come from?
1. Fig. to attempt to become friends with someone. He tried to break the ice, but she was a little cold. A nice smile does a lot to break the ice. 2. Fig. to initiate social interchanges and conversation; to get something started. It's hard to break the ice at formal events. Sally broke the ice at the auction by bidding $20,000 for the painting.
Jul 16, 2023 · In short: As an idiom, 'break the ice" means to start a conversation or activity in a way that makes people feel more comfortable and relaxed. The literal meaning of the phrase is to break a layer of ice, such as a frozen lake or river.
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to do or say something that makes people feel more comfortable, especially at the start of a meeting or partyto reduce the tension or unfamiliarity at the beginning of a party, gathering etc.to make people feel more relaxed with each other who have not met beforeto start doing something to make people feel relaxed and comfortable at a gathering or in a new situationJone suggested playing a party game to break the ice.Everyone was quiet in the hall until she broke the iceby cracking a joke.It’s not always easy to break the iceat a formal meeting.Before leaving the party, I complimented her, “Your cute smile did a lot to break the ice.”The old and original meaning of the phrase “break the ice” is to clear a blocked path and make way for others and also related to boat navigation by breaking the ice. The metaphoric use is pretty ancient and was documented in 1579 by Sir Thomas North in his translation of Plutarch’s Lives of the noble Grecians and Romanes: But the idiom (in its pre...
Meaning. Idiom: break the ice. To do or say something to make people more relaxed in a social situation and get people talking to each other (e.g., party, business meeting, conference, first day of class). NOTE : Breaking the ice helps people feel more comfortable and less tense in a new situation or event where people are meeting for the first ...
To break the ice means to do something to initiate conversation or get something started in a very tense or formal situation; to overcome the initial shyness or relieve tension in a new social situation such as when people first meet; to make it possible, or pave the way, for something to happen by one’s actions. Break the Ice Idiom Meaning.
Idiom: Break the ice. Meaning: When you break the ice, you get over any initial embarrassment or shyness when you meet someone for the first time and start conversing. Country: International English | Subject Area: Nature | Usage Type: Both or All Words Used. Contributor: Richard Flynn.
To break down social formality and stiffness. What's the origin of the phrase 'Break the ice'? The earlier meaning of this phrase, that is, ‘to forge a path for others to follow’, alludes of course to the breaking of ice to allow the navigation of boats.
