cold shoulder
a show of deliberate indifference or disregard.
Also cold-shoul·der . (of a sleeved garment) having a portion of each sleeve cut out, leaving the shoulders exposed: cold shoulder tops for everyday wear;a cold-shoulder dress.
Origin of cold shoulder
1Words Nearby cold shoulder
Other definitions for cold-shoulder (2 of 2)
to snub; show indifference to.
Origin of cold-shoulder
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cold shoulder in a sentence
Ignoring them may be the best solution, but some might take your cold shoulder as coals for their fire, making matters even worse.
Dreading family time over the holidays? These 6 tips will help. | Sandra Gutierrez G. | November 23, 2021 | Popular-ScienceAfter giving a cold shoulder to cryptocurrencies for years, India’s central bank is finally set to launch its own digital currency, and investors in the country have a reason to cheer.
Indian central bank’s digital rupee could pave the way ahead for country’s crypto ecosystem | Mimansa Verma | July 26, 2021 | QuartzFor almost 30 years, NASA has given Venus the cold shoulder.
NASA is ending its 30-year Venus drought with two new missions | Neel V. Patel | June 2, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewIf they did so, they would likely not get a cold shoulder from President Putin.
Cersei had been giving the Jaime the cold shoulder since his return, and the one-handed “Kingslayer” reaches his breaking point.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most WTF Scenes: Twincest Rape, Shadow Baby, George W. Bush’s Head, and More | Marlow Stern | April 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is also getting the cold shoulder from his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu.
The cold shoulder Elsa casts against her will is crucial to the plot.
It’s A Good Thing This Scene Was Deleted From ‘Frozen’ | Marina Watts | February 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe financial markets are giving Argentina the cold shoulder?
Abdel el-Zabayar: From Parliament to the Frontlines | Mac Margolis | September 15, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThere was Cliff Manning, you turned the cold shoulder to him because he couldnt talk grammar.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline | Jennie M. Drinkwater(That's irony red-hot it seemeth to me); O for a turn of its dreaded cold shoulder!O what a comfort an ague would be!
The Book of Humorous Verse | VariousBrother,” said Heika, with a sad but earnest look, “I must give this man the cold shoulder.
The Norsemen in the West | R.M. BallantyneI tell you, mother, we all missed a figure in turning the cold shoulder to her; and how much money she has made!
Ruth Hall | Fanny FernIt was situated upon the cold shoulder of a hill, sixteen miles from the nearest station.
British Dictionary definitions for cold shoulder
/ informal /
the cold shoulder a show of indifference; a slight
to treat with indifference
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for cold shoulder
To “give someone the cold shoulder” is to ignore someone deliberately: “At the party, Carl tried to talk to Suzanne, but she gave him the cold shoulder.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with cold shoulder
Deliberate coldness or disregard, a slight or snub. For example, When I said hello to her in the library, she gave me the cold shoulder and walked away. This term, which first appeared in writings by Sir Walter Scott and others, supposedly alludes to the custom of welcoming a desired guest with a meal of roasted meat, but serving only a cold shoulder of beef or lamb—a far inferior dish—to those who outstayed their welcome. [Early 1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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