deep freeze

¹ American  

noun

1. a state or period of halted or suspended activity or progress.

   High interest rates created a deep freeze in housing construction.

2. suspended animation.

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idioms

1. put in / into the deep freeze, to stop or suspend the activity or progress of.

   A series of quarrels put their romance into the deep freeze.

deep-freeze ² American  

[deep-freez] / ˈdipˈfriz /

verb (used with object)

deep-freezed, deep-froze, deep-freezed, deep-frozen, deep-freezing

1. to quick-freeze (food).

2. to store in a frozen frozen state.

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Etymology

Origin of deep freeze¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Origin of deep-freeze²

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; deep + freeze

Example Sentences

Bacteria are remarkably adaptable, thriving in some of the harshest places on Earth, from boiling hot springs to deep freezes far below zero.

From Science Daily

The pandemic’s housing rush—followed by its deep freeze caused by rising prices and mortgage rates—also played a part.

From Barron's

But as the digital-asset realm evolves, the real deep freeze would be if there were an extended drop in the value of stablecoins in circulation.

From The Wall Street Journal

A ‘deep freeze’ has enveloped the U.S. labor market.

From The Wall Street Journal

Plus, white-collar workers who switched to a trade and the labor market’s ‘deep freeze.’

From The Wall Street Journal