Winter Idioms
If someone asked you to “put a project on ice”
you might think they mean to
go put it in the freezer. What they actually mean is to stop working on it for
a short time. Similarly, if someone asks you on your wedding day if you
have cold feet, you might think it is a strange question.
“Of course not,” you say, “I am wearing socks!”
This actually means to be
scared enough to not do something as planned.
There are many phrases and
idioms that use winter vocabulary. As you know from learning about idioms, the meanings of these
phrases often cannot be understood from just the words being said, which makes
them very confusing.
Here are 5 more common winter idioms, so you will be able to
understand what people mean. Learn them all so you know how to use them in
conversation:
(To) be on thin ice — to do something that is
risky or might get a person in trouble.
“After not showing up
for work, Mark is on thin ice with his boss.”
(To) break the ice — to start a conversation
in order to get to know someone or to make it more comfortable socially.
“We had a list of questions to
ask in class to help us break the ice with our new partners.”
(To) have a snowball’s chance in hell — having no chance of
something happening.
“I told my friend Mike that he has a snowball’s chance in hell of
dating his favorite celebrity.”
(To) give someone the cold shoulder — to act unfriendly or to
ignore someone.
“She gave me the cold shoulder
the day after I embarrassed her by dancing in front of her friends.”
(To) leave someone out in the cold — to not involve someone
or keep them out of group situation.
“My boss left me out in the cold when deciding on the new project
with the other managers.”
Using a variety of different
winter-related words and phrases will help you converse naturally with others
about the season. Idioms can be integrated into regular conversation at any
time during the year, whether at the office or out for a night on the town.
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