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break the ice

 [ahys]   Origin

ice

   [ahys] noun, verb, iced, ic·ing, adjective
noun
1.
the solid form of water, produced by freezing; frozen water.
2.
the frozen surface of a body of water.
3.
any substance resembling frozen water: camphor ice.
4.
a frozen dessert made of sweetened water and fruit juice.
5.
British. ice cream.
EXPAND
6.
icing, as on a cake.
7.
reserve; formality: The ice of his manner betrayed his dislike of the new ambassador.
8.
Slang.
a.
a diamond or diamonds.
b.
protection money paid to the police by the operator of an illicit business.
c.
a fee that a ticket broker pays to a theater manager in order to receive a favorable allotment of tickets.
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verb (used with object)
9.
to cover with ice.
10.
to change into ice; freeze.
11.
to cool with ice, as a drink.
12.
to cover (cake, sweet rolls, etc.) with icing; frost.
13.
to refrigerate with ice, as air.
EXPAND
14.
to make cold, as if with ice.
15.
to preserve by placing on ice.
16.
Ice Hockey. (especially in Canada) to put (a team) into formal play.
17.
Slang.
a.
to settle or seal; make sure of, as by signing a contract: We'll ice the deal tomorrow.
b.
to make (a business arrangement) more attractive by adding features or benefits: The star pitcher wouldn't sign his new contract until the team iced it with a big bonus.
c.
to kill, especially to murder: The mobsters threatened to ice him if he went to the police.
18.
Sports Slang. to establish a winning score or insurmountable lead in or otherwise assure victory in (a game or contest): Her second goal iced the game.
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Break the ice is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used without object)
19.
to change to ice; freeze: The sherbet is icing in the refrigerator.
20.
to be coated with ice (often followed by up): The windshield has iced up.
adjective
21.
of or made of ice: ice shavings; an ice sculpture.
22.
for holding ice and food or drink to be chilled: an ice bucket; an ice chest.
23.
on or done on the ice: ice yachting.
Idioms
24.
break the ice,
a.
to succeed initially; make a beginning.
b.
to overcome reserve, awkwardness, or formality within a group, as in introducing persons: The chairman broke the ice with his warm and very amusing remarks.
25.
cut no ice, Informal. to have no influence or importance; fail to impress: Her father's position cuts no ice with me.
26.
ice it, Slang. stop it; that's enough: You've been complaining all day, so ice it.
27.
ice the puck, Ice Hockey. to hit the puck to the far end of the rink, especially from the defensive area across the offensive area.
28.
on ice, Informal.
a.
with a good chance of success or realization: Now that the contract is on ice we can begin operating again.
b.
out of activity, as in confinement or imprisonment.
c.
in a state of abeyance or readiness: Let's put that topic on ice for the moment.
EXPAND
29.
on thin ice, in a precarious or delicate situation: You may pass the course, but you're on thin ice right now. Also, skating on thin ice.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
before 900; 1905–10 for def. 8a; Middle English, Old English īs; cognate with German Eis, Old Norse īss

Related forms
ice·less, adjective
ice·like, adjective
re·ice, verb, re·iced, re·ic·ing.
un·ice, verb (used with object), un·iced, un·ic·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To break the ice
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ice
O.E. is "ice," from P.Gmc. *isa- (cf. O.N. iss, O.Fris. is, Du. ijs, Ger. Eis), with no certain cognates beyond Gmc. Slang meaning "diamonds" is attested from 1906. Ice cream is first recorded 1688 (as iced cream); icing in the sugary sense is from 1769; ice cube first recorded 1929. To break the ice
EXPAND
"to make the first opening to any attempt" is from 1590, metaphoric of making passages for boats by breaking up river ice though in modern use usually with implications of "cold reserve."
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
ice   (īs)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A solid consisting of frozen water. Ice forms at or below a temperature of 0°C (32°F). Ice expands during the process of freezing, with the result that its density is lower than that of water.

  2. A solid form of a substance, especially of a substance that is a liquid or a gas at room temperature at sea level on Earth. The nuclei of many comets contain methane ice.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

break the ice definition


To remove the tension at a first meeting, at the opening of a party, etc.: “That joke really broke the ice at the conference; we all relaxed afterward.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

break the ice definition


  1. tv.
    to be the first one to do something. : No one wants to break the ice. I guess I will be first.
  2. tv.
    to attempt to become friends with someone. : A nice smile does a lot to break the ice.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

ice definition


  1. n.
    diamonds; jewels. (Underworld.) : That old dame has tons of ice in her hotel room.
  2. n.
    cocaine; crystalline cocaine. (Drugs.) : Max deals mostly in ice but can get you almost anything.
  3. tv.
    to kill someone; to kill an informer. (Underworld. See also chill.) : Mr. Big ordered Sam to ice you-know-who.
  4. tv.
    to ignore someone. (Underworld. See also chill.) : Bart iced Sam for obvious reasons.
  5. tv.
    to embarrass someone; to make someone look foolish. : Don't ice me in front of my friends.
  6. n.
    money given as a bribe, especially to the police. (Underworld.) : A lot of those cops take ice.
  7. mod.
    excellent; very cool. : Her answer was ice, and she really put down that guy.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

break the ice

  1. Make a start, pave the way, as in Newton's theories broke the ice for modern physics. This idiom alludes to breaking ice in a channel so that a ship can pass. [Early 1600s] Also see break ground.

  2. Relax a tense or very formal situation, as in Someone at the conference table will have to break the ice. [Early 1600s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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